Hong Kong Disneyland Slated To Begin Reopening On June 18
Even though nearly two dozen stateshave recently seen a risein coronavirus cases in the United States as the country attempts to reopen, countries overseas are having more luck containing the spread of the pandemic. Over the past week, Hong Kong has seen either one or zero cases daily, which is whyHong Kong Disneylandis preparing to reopen later this month onJune 18.
The Disney Parks Blogannounced the date for Hong Kong Disneyland reopening in an official statement:
This announcement comes after Hong Kongreopened Ocean Parkon June 13. Both of the parks had been closed for 130 days following the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic. Ocean Park was on the verge of bankruptcy and has been desperate to reopen for some time now. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Disneyland has lost around $145 million in operating costs after being closed for so long, but the park is still standing strong.
Specific guidelines for how Hong Kong Disneyland will operate haven’t been revealed yet, but the Disney Parks Blog said:
“During this initial reopening phase, the park will open with limited attendance. The park will implement social distancing requirements in queues, restaurants, attraction vehicles and at other facilities throughout the park, and will increase the frequency of sanitization and disinfection in high-guest contact areas.”
There’s no mention of temperature checkpoints to enter the parks, which is something that we saw atShanghai Disneyland. Walt Disney World is alsoslated to have temperature checks, so perhaps this is something that merely isn’t mentioned. Meanwhile, Disneyland is a little further behind withplans to open in mid-July. There will probably be more detailed procedures and policies as we get closer to the opening date.
The question many have is whether or not theme parks can sustain themselves even after reopening, especially operating at limited capacity. These parks have already lost so much money from being closed for months that they’re going to need a big boost to become profitable again. Thankfully, there haven’t been any talks about any of Disney’s locations actually shutting down due to the extended closures yet, but we will certainly see them cutting costs in other ways as time goes on.
