Disneyland plans more time off, blames state COVID-19 rules



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After recalling some employees to work in anticipation of the reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park, the Anaheim resort has announced it will be putting many of those recalled workers on leave now that it is clear the reopening will not not happening anytime soon.

In a note to employees, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock accused state coronavirus protocols of keeping the theme parks reopening schedule – which have been closed since mid-March – in “limbo “.

“We find ourselves in the untenable situation of having to institute additional time off for our executives, employees and schedules,” Potrock said in Monday’s note.

Disney representatives declined to say how many employees are on leave, but said station operators have in recent months called back employees previously on leave in anticipation of the theme parks reopening to realize that state guidelines announced last month would keep the parks closed for the foreseeable future. Most of the time off is for workers who had been called back to work, Disney officials confirmed.

Disneyland executives, along with other theme park operators in the state, have pressured Gov. Gavin Newsom to create health protocols that allow the parks to reopen soon. But last month, Newsom released guidelines linking the reopening of parks to infection rates and the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the counties that are home to the parks, as well as a yardstick of fairness. When the spread of the virus in a county decreases sufficiently, the theme parks in that county are allowed to reopen.

Based on state guidelines, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park may not be allowed to open until summer 2021 or perhaps later, said Dr Clayton Chau, director of the Care Agency. Orange County health last month when the state guidelines were released.

Before the pandemic, the Disneyland Resort employed more than 30,000 workers, making it the largest employer in Orange County. About 10,000 of those employees have since been fired, according to company sources who asked not to be named because they had not been authorized to release the information.

Employees who have been fired can collect state unemployment benefits, and Disney has promised to continue paying to provide them with health insurance benefits for as long as the leave lasts.

Shops and restaurants in the business district known as Downtown Disney, which is adjacent to the theme parks, have been open since July. A stretch of retail stores and restaurants within California Adventure Park is scheduled to open on November 19.



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