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Major events are cancelling amid coronavirus fears
As worries over COVID-19 continue to grow, so too does the list of major events and concerts that are being called off.
Shanghai Disneyland will begin a phased reopening with controlled capacity on May 11, according to an announcement made on Instagram and the Disney Parks Blog.
“Today, as residents in Shanghai and its neighboring provinces have returned to more normal life – including at workplaces, schools, shops, restaurants, and entertainment destinations – I’m excited to share that Shanghai Disneyland will also be reopening to the public on May 11,” according to a Disney Parks blog post from Joe Schott, President and General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort.
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Schott said that the park will implement “new and enhanced health and safety measures reflecting the guidance of our local health and government authorities,” also noting that other Disney parks around the world are preparing for reopening.
“When the time is right, they will be able to once again welcome guests,” Schott said.
The announcement of the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland is a milestone amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as the resort is one of the largest and busiest theme parks in the world. USA Today noted that Shanghai Disneyland was the eighth-most visited theme park across the globe in 2018.
The milestone is particularly significant for China, once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country has reported just above 83,000 novel coronavirus cases as of May 5, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The United States still has the most confirmed coronavirus cases across the world with over 1.1 million.
There have been concerns, however, regarding the accuracy and legitimacy of China's official coronavirus numbers, with claims from U.S. intelligence officials that the nation had severely underreported the amount of those who had been infected with COVID-19.
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