Disneyland Is Shutting Down Again
Disneyland will now be closed down from January 7th to January 20th. The two weeks that the theme park will be shut down are a preemptive measure
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Disneyland in Hong Kong is set to shut down for the fifth time since the pandemic started in 2020. Now that the Omicron variant of COVID has been spreading throughout the world, stricter protocols for stopping the spread of coronavirus have started to be implemented. Hong Kong Disneyland will now be closed down from January 7th to January 20th. The two weeks that the theme park will be shut down are a preemptive measure to stop the outbreak of the new variant. The first case of the new variant was confirmed in the area on December 31st, 2021. Now, officials have deemed it unsafe to keep the Disneyland park open.
Hong Kong has a “Zero COVID” policy they are attempting to implement. This policy includes shutting down areas of high tourist and local traffic. Meanwhile, mainland China has also shut down flights from eight international countries which include the US and the UK. China was hit hard during the initial breakout of the pandemic, which has influenced its pandemic protocols. Two cities in China have also been put on lockdown. China is taking no chances, as the country is currently experiencing 800,000+ new cases a day following the Christmas and New Years’ holidays. Disneyland in the US has yet to be shut down.
Disneyland in Los Angeles remaining open with the spread of the new COVID variant is rampant may not last long. The location has shut down in the past. More strict state-wide suggestions in California are currently being proposed. Currently, suggestions are being proposed in the state in place of mandates that would require businesses to shut down completely, like they’re doing in Hong Kong. There are few mandates being proposed at the state level in the US, considering that businesses are refusing to completely shut their doors. Hopefully, there can be an end in sight for the pandemic later this year.
The two-week stretch in which Hong Kong Disneyland is to remain closed is part of the city’s strategies for implementing isolation or deeper quarantine measures to slow the spread of the virus. A lot of countries are likely attempting to copy New Zealand in some form as they were the only country that effectively got rid of their cases back in 2020, though by late 2021 the country’s situation had also escalated. The spread of COVID is one of the highest level concerns worldwide. So far, it seems as if life with the virus is going to remain ongoing through this year, even though countries around the world are attempting to stop the spread in their own way.
It’s unknown if Disneyland in the US will follow Hong Kong’s lead and shut down to attempt to stop the spread of this new variant of COVID. It has done so in the past. Disneyland Hong Kong has not been at all shy about shutting down, and the park’s business is still surviving. While some may be disappointed if “Pirates of the Caribbean” shuts down for a few weeks, safety protocols are important. The theme parks are not going anywhere.
