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HEALTH-VIRUS-US-ENTERTAINMENT-DISNEYLAND
California relaxes Covid reopening rules for Disneyland, stadiums from
April
LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – California on Friday paved the way
for Disneyland, other theme parks and outdoor stadiums to welcome guests
sooner than expected as it relaxed reopening criteria following a sharp
decline in Covid-19 cases and pressure from operators.
The move announced by the state health department will permit ballparks,
stadiums and mega-attractions including Disneyland, Magic Mountain and
Universal Studios to admit visitors from April 1, according to conditions in
their county, and at reduced capacities.
With these improvements, “California can begin gradually and safely
bringing back more activities, especially those that occur outdoors and where
consistent masking is possible,” state health secretary Mark Ghaly said in a
statement.
Only outdoor activities are affected by the changes, which come as
California’s governor Gavin Newsom faces mounting pressure and a bid to
recall him from office over his handling of the pandemic.
Theme parks will only be allowed to reopen if their county drops below the
state’s most-restrictive coronavirus “tier,” and then initially at 15 percent
capacity and for California residents only.
Orange County — where Disneyland is located — currently remains in the
strictest purple tier, as does neighboring Los Angeles county, where several
other major tourist attractions are based.
The tiers use infection and positivity rates to set reopening rules, but
have themselves been relaxed in recent days as the Golden State’s brutal
winter Covid spike rapidly recedes, and as vaccinations ramp up.
Outdoor sports and live performances with fans will be allowed across the
state from April 1, though capacity will again be determined by conditions in
the state. Capacity will be limited to 100 California residents in the worst-
hit areas.
Theme parks in particular had bristled at restrictions they considered too
strict, which would have seen them placed among the last to reopen.
“Throughout the pandemic, California’s business community has been
committed to protecting the health and safety of workers and customers — and
that won’t change now,” Newsom’s senior advisor Dee Dee Myers said.
“We will continue to work together with our partners across all sectors of
the economy, as we reopen safely, sustainably and equitably.”
BSS/AFP/SSS/0920 hrs