As waves of restrictions lift on business operations, businesses all across the United States are announcing plans to reopen in spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Among these businesses is theme park giant Disney World in Florida. Disney has announced plans to reopen the park starting on July 11th, a full 6 days before the reopening of the Disneyland park. This news comes with details of a new park pass system that enforces social distancing.
The new system requires annual pass holders and ticket owners to make reservations for the days they plan to be in Disney parks. Guests will also be able to link their tickets together on the reservation website so they can coordinate their trips and entry times. The company has stated that at this time, guests cannot be granted access to multiple Disney parks on the same day. This reservation system will allow Disney to limit the number of guests in the parks and hotels at a time, complying with occupancy laws and encouraging social distancing.
Only existing pass holders will be able to attend Disney parks at this time, with a promise for 2021 ticket sales to open up by June 28th and 2020 tickets to reopen for sale later in the summer. There's no knowing if these ticket sales will make up for Disney's losses due to park closures.
Some are still concerned with the health and safety risks for park guests and workers alike. Following the announcement for Disneyland's reopening, a petition to delay the park's reopening was created. Those speaking out against the park's reopening are saying it is too soon as COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise rather than fall.
It is to be seen whether Disney will heed the warnings of fans, but as of now, the company seems to be moving steadily forward with plans to reopen.