Disneyland Reopens After 13-month COVID Closure
Voice of America
01 May 2021, 04:05 GMT+10
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - Four months ago, America s most populous state was struggling to combat a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations that packed patients into outdoor tents and killed hundreds of people each day.
On Friday, Disneyland, California s world-famous theme park, will reopen to visitors after an unprecedented 13-month closure in what tourism officials hope is a sign of the state s rebound from the pandemic. For now, the park is allowing only in-state visitors and operating at limited capacity. It has such a symbolic nature to really quantifying that we re finally rolling out of COVID, said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of the state tourism agency Visit California.
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Disneyland and Disney California Adventure opened their gates to guests Friday after an unprecedented 13-month closure, welcoming parkgoers to stroll down Main Street USA, pay a visit to the Haunted Mansion and scream down Splash Mountain as the COVID-19 pandemic loosens its grip on the state.
In Disneyland’s 66-year history, the theme park has been shut for extreme circumstances only a few times after the assassination of President Kennedy and following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, for example. Before the pandemic struck in March of last year, none of those closures lasted longer than a day.
Now, with a slew of coronavirus safety adjustments, the Anaheim parks are welcoming back their fans.
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Four months ago, America’s most populous state was struggling to combat a surge in coronavirus hospitalizations that packed patients into outdoor tents and killed hundreds of people each day.
On Friday, Disneyland, California’s world-famous theme park, will reopen to visitors after an unprecedented 13-month closure in what tourism officials hope is a sign of the state’s rebound from the pandemic. For now, the park is allowing only in-state visitors and operating at limited capacity.
“It has such a symbolic nature to really quantifying that we’re finally rolling out of COVID,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of the state tourism agency Visit California.
Disney s California theme parks had been silent 412 days, but the magic is finally back.
Friday Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park reopened at 8 a.m. local time with the first guests cheering, clapping and waving as they came through the gates. The Anaheim parks are only open to California residents at limited capacity for now.
Disney cast members lined Main Street USA and returned the applause and cheers. “Welcome back, everyone,” they said in greeting.
Kate Fail of Los Angeles couldn’t hold back the tears, she was so happy to be back in Disneyland.
“Spending time with friends and just riding rides again” is what she was looking forward to most as she entered the park. First stop for Fail: Space Mountain.