The Shanghai Disney resort will reopen on Thursday after operations were suspended for more than three months in response to China’s worst COVID-19 outbreak since the early days of the pandemic.
The Walt Disney Co. said the resort will resume ticket sales on Wednesday, and attendance levels will be limited during the first phase of reopening, part of a “cautious build-up of operations.” Some attractions, such as the Marvel Universe and the Explorer Canoes, will initially remain closed. All guests will have to submit a negative PCR test result received within 72 hours to gain access, Disney added.
The amusement park has been closed since March 21, when the resort closed its doors amid a surge of omicron cases in Shanghai, which eventually led to a total closure for the city’s 22 million residents. Shanghai officials lifted the order to stay home on June 1, and some entertainment facilities began opening in the following weeks. The Universal Studios Beijing resort resumed operations on June 25 after enduring a two-month closure of its own.
But Disney and local officials have chosen to play it safe in Shanghai’s case, a reflection of the seriousness of the recent outbreak and the aggressive public health stance behind China’s “dynamic COVID zero” policy. At the height of the local outbreak, Shanghai has set a series of national records for daily infection rates, with new cases repeatedly exceeding 15,000. In the fall of last year, Shanghai Disneyland closed with 30,000 guests and staff still inside after a single positive test result was detected after a guest who recently visited the amusement park. All visitors then had to take PCR tests before they were allowed to go home. The draconian response is likely to be repeated if a positive result is returned to the park.
For now, the public health situation in China seems to be moving in the right direction. Both Beijing and Shanghai did not report any new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, the first time the two cities have been in the spotlight since February. China also reduced the required quarantine period for incoming travelers – from 14 days to 7 at centralized government facilities, with an additional 3 days at home – to which local markets responded positively, with both the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges recording daily gains .
The Shanghai Disney Resort is Disney’s second largest physical entertainment venue in the world, just behind Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The Chinese park is a joint venture between Disney and a state-sponsored entity known as the Shendi Group. The Chinese firm holds a 57 percent ownership stake, while Disney retains creative and operational control.