Growing concerns for coronavirus continue to affect companies in tourist hotspots such as Anaheim, prompting Disney Parks to make the drastic decision of closing down Disneyland for the time being. The park is scheduled to reopen on April 1st though that could be changed due to the nature of the outbreak, and it’s likely that Disney officials are working overtime to make sure one of their biggest generators for revenue is up and operational with the safety of park guests intact. With concerns of coronavirus spreading throughout the world, Disney Parks is taking precautions to ensure the safety of guests and employees alike.
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According to the New York Times, Disneyland will shut down on Friday for only the 3rd time in history.
Disney Parks has suffered numerous setbacks in recent weeks at their facilities, including multiple ride malfunctions that have resulted in numerous unwanted headlines about the park.
In recent weeks, the long-running Jungle Cruise ride suffered a major breakdown when one of the boats began sinking while in operation. Guests were forced to evacuate the boat with the assistance of emergency responders as the ride began to submerge in the water.
Disney responded to the incident, telling ComicBook.com that they immediately engaged the Reedy Creek Fire Department to remove guests from the attraction. Photos and videos taken at the park show response teams evacuating the vessels, helping guests maneuver onto the ride’s river banks and escorting them safely back onto the park. According to a rep from Disney, the incident occurred when the boat took on some water. Everyone made it out of the boat safely, and Disney Parks employees worked with the individual guests in an effort to help them enjoy their stay at the parks despite the incident.
The next day, the PeopleMover attraction at Tomorrowland malfunctioned and resulted in an on-track collision between two of the carts. Once again, guests were forced to evacuate the ride with the assistance of park staff, though the PeopleMover and Jungle Cruise since returned to operational status at Walt Disney World.
Coronavirus has been a concern in the Florida area with Tampa Bay residents being informed that they could have been in contact with someone who has since been confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Disney Parks has already shut down operations in Disneyland Tokyo due to the spread of coronavirus in Japan, stopping work at the park for at least two weeks as they assess future options.
