California Disneyland re-opens but you can't hug Mickey Mouse
Tweet
Share
E-mail
A woman takes a selfie outside Disneyland Park on its reopening day amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Anaheim, California, U.S., April 30, 2021. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Masks, temperature checks and no hugs with Mickey Mouse greeted visitors to Disneyland in California on Friday as Walt Disney's original theme park reopened for the first time in over a year.
Under coronavirus pandemic guidelines, "The Happiest Place on Earth" was opened only to California residents and capacity was limited to 25% to allow for social distancing.
"It was just really nice to be back around all the energy, and the cast members were so welcoming," said Lauren England, one of the first day visitors.
Guests, age 2 and older, were required to wear face masks and there were none of the usual hugs with costumed characters like Mickey Mouse and Snow White.
There will be no parades, and the nightly fireworks displays have been put on hold to prevent crowds from gathering closely together.
Jocelyn Bonilla, who was among more than 28,000 U.S. Disney theme park workers to be furloughed during the long closure, was delighted to be back.
"I am one of the ones that got let go, so it feels good to be back," she said. "Seeing everyone back, seeing everything back to normal, it's amazing."
Tickets to Disneyland are sold out through mid-June, according to the park's online reservation system, but there is more availability in the adjacent California Adventure.
Disneyland, located 35 miles south of Los Angeles in Anaheim, opened in 1955.
Walt Disney Co closed its theme parks around the world in March 2020 to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company's most-visited resort, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, reopened in July 2020.
Disneyland Paris is currently closed. Disney parks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong are open.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Rollo Ross; editing by Diane Craft and David Gregorio)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- AI firms should not get regulatory waivers, Nvidia CEO says on podcast
- Analyst explains why the midterm outcome is a “fundamental non-event”
- Anthropic’s Claude finds new enzyme system
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
General News, ReutersSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
