Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock announced the plan Monday in a letter to workers sent in honor of California Adventure’s 20th anniversary.
With the move – along with the recent reboot of alfresco dining in downtown Disney after the stay-at-home order was lifted in California last month – around 1,000 Disney cast members will be able to return to work. . Tens of thousands of the company’s employees have been laid off or laid off since last year due to the extended shutdown.
“With limited capacity and improved health and safety measures in place, guests will once again be able to step into a magical Disney environment – one that will provide memorable and fun experiences our guests crave,” said Potrock.
Paid events are expected to take place several days a week starting in mid-March.
The limited reopening indicates the potential start of a resumption of Disney theme parks in California after the pandemic hammered the company’s bottom line.
In November, Disney informed the Securities and Exchange Commission of its intention to lay off 32,000 employees by the end of March.
Disney closed its 12 theme parks around the world last spring as the Covid-19 pandemic spread. While some of its resorts, such as Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, have reopened, California parks remain closed due to state health and safety protocols. The resort town of Anaheim, California is Disney’s oldest location, with the opening of Disneyland in 1955 (California Adventure Park opened in 2001).
Disneyland unions have pushed California Governor Gavin Newsom to reopen the parks, which is expected to happen at limited capacity only when Orange County hits a lower level of Covid-19 cases. A group of California State Assembly members also proposed a bill to speed up the reopening of Disneyland and other major theme parks in the state.
Potrock called the limited reopening of California Adventure Park a “very special opportunity … which aligns with our top priorities: bringing more cast members back to work and interacting with our guests in different and relevant ways.”
Disney stock closed at $ 190 a share, up about 5% on Monday.
