The theme parks were expected to open at limited capacity on July 17.
People will have to wait a while longer to be able to go to the "Happiest Place on Earth." After closing its doors March 14 amid the coronavirus pandemic, Disneyland Resorts announced on Wednesday that it is delaying the previously announced reopening date.
"The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4," the statement reads. "Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials. Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date."
Earlier this month, Disneyland Resorts announced that the Anaheim theme parks would be planning to open its gates on July 17. That is not the case anymore. However, Downtown Disney District will reopen on July 9 as previously announced, with health and safety protocols in place for cast members and guests.
Before postponing its grand reopening, to make guests comfortable and safe, Disneyland Resort stated that they will have enhanced safety and health measures, as well as limited park capacity and a reservation system put in place. Once reopened, parades and nighttime spectaculars will be put on hold and return at a later date. Though character meet-and-greets will be temporarily unavailable, "characters will be in the parks in new ways to entertain and delight guests."
When the Anaheim, California, park closed in March, it marked the fourth time in history that Disneyland had closed. The first was in 1963 for a national day of mourning after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the second was in 1994 after the Northridge earthquake, and the third was after the 9/11 attacks.
Meanwhile, as coronavirus restrictions and social distancing guidelines start to relax across the country, Walt Disney World also shared its plans for a "phased reopening" of some of its Florida parks, beginning July 11.
For more information on the reopenings, visit: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/.
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