/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5fc556673cbad918310edfa9/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=6048&cropY1=194&cropY2=3596&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Half Of Disney’s Parks Shuttered Worldwide As Hong Kong Disneyland Closes Again")
Topline
Hong Kong Disneyland will close Dec. 2 as Hong Kong reimposes restrictions on public gatherings due to rising Covid-19 cases, as the company’s struggling parks division lays off thousands of workers as the pandemic stretches on.
A closed Hong Kong Disneyland on January 26, 2020. (Photo by Ayaka MCGILL / AFP) (Photo by AYAKA … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
It’s the third shutdown for Hong Kong Disneyland amid the pandemic, following previous closures in January and July, after Hong Kong announced new restrictions Monday following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Disneyland Paris closed for the second time in October and announced Wednesday it will remain shuttered through February, rather than reopening temporarily for the Christmas holiday as originally planned.
Disneyland Resort in California has not reopened since shutting down in March, though Disney’s California Adventure theme park recently opened some shopping and dining options while the rest of the park remains closed.
Tokyo Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland both remain open as well.
Key Background
Disney’s parks, experiences and products division booked an operating loss of $81 million in fiscal year 2020 due to the theme park closures and restrictions. The company announced in September it would lay off 28,000 U.S. employees in its parks division in light of the company’s pandemic struggles, which the company then increased to 32,000 workers Wednesday. Walt Disney World’s reopening in July was heavily criticized as cases in Florida surged, while Disney and local government officials have railed against the California government’s restrictions on theme parks that prohibit Disneyland from reopening. California’s theme park guidelines are “arbitrary guidelines that [the state] knows are unworkable,” Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said in a statement in October, saying the continued shut down would “[force] thousands more people out of work” and devastate the local economy.
What To Watch For
Disneyland in California is unlikely to fully reopen before 2021 under the state’s current guidelines, which California theme park operators have heavily opposed and suggested they could take legal action against. Walt Disney World, however, is unlikely to close even as Covid-19 cases in the state rise, with Gov. Ron DeSantis saying at a press conference Monday that he remains opposed to shutdown measures. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during the company’s Q4 earnings call that demand for the company’s theme parks has been going up, with visitors booking theme park visits even despite the pandemic. “I think people are now—through forward bookings and reservations—showing some very encouraging signs about their willingness to come and spend time with us at a Disney park,” Chapek said.
Further Reading
Disney Will Lay Off 32,000 Workers As Theme Parks Face Restrictions Due To Covid-19 (Forbes)
Hong Kong Disneyland Reopens For A Second Time As California Theme Park Closure Continues (Forbes)
California Releases Theme Park Guidelines—But Disneyland Isn’t Reopening Anytime Soon (Forbes)
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