California To Start Phased Re-Opening A Per Governor Gavin Newsom’s Plan
I know we’ve spent a lot of time here at MickeyBlog discussing Governor DeSantis’s plans to re-open Florida and what this might mean for Walt Disney World but there has ALSO been some momentum on the West Coast. According to a piece today in the Orange County Register, Governor Gavin Newsom, announced plans to re-open part of California’s economy including some retail and hospitality businesses starting later this week.
According to the report, the first phase will be to re-open what are being called “lower-risk” businesses in the retail and hospitality industries. This includes clothing, florists, bookstores and sports stores which may be given the go-ahead to start curbside pick-up later this week.
Initially, dine-in restaurants, shopping malls and office buildings will be advised to continue to remain closed.
“This is a very positive sign and it’s happening only for one reason — the data says it can happen,” Newsom said.
Before Governor Newsom made his announcement yesterday, three counties in Northern California had already given local businesses the go-ahead to re-open despite the Governor’s stay at home order. Thousands of residents across the state also took to the streets last week to protest the order.
So what does all of this mean for Disneyland in California? Newsom’s plan at the moment is focusing on more rural areas hit less hard than those in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. In order to move forward with plans to open businesses, certain health requirements must be met. Factors considered include the availability of hospital beds, testing capabilities and contact tracing.
So essentially it is still early days for the Orange County theme parks as some of the less populated areas of the state open up to test the water. Newsom was also clear that the relaxing of the current statewide shelter-in-place order could be reversed if the number of residents affected by COVID-19 went up again.
“It has to be done in a very thoughtful and judicious way,” he said. “We just want folks to know we need to toggle back and forth here on the basis of what’s happening in these communities in real-time
Similar to the timeline in Florida, Newsom will be releasing a report this Thursday outlining the businesses that are permitted to re-open as well as guidelines for sanitation and social distancing.
The governor announced that the state will also be stepping up efforts to more effectively utilize contract tracing, with this in mind, University of California campuses in both San Francisco and Los Angeles will be launching an online training academy to recruit new tracers. The ultimate goal is to train 20,000 new workers to help with tracing in the coming weeks.
With businesses being restricted in terms of curbside pick-up and takeaway only, Disneyland isn’t yet at the stage to be re-opening in Anaheim. However, Newsoms report on Thursday may give us a clearer path forward.
It should also be noted that Former CEO Bob Iger is on Governor Newsom’s Task Force to re-open businesses in the state of California. His presence on the task force should inform any plans for a Disneyland re-opening.
We’ll be keeping track of developments and promise to keep you posted.
Disney May Be Currently Closed But Did You Know You Can Plan A Disney Getaway Through Until the End of 2020? Don’t let Coronavirus put a damper on your Disney plans. Reach out today to get your FREE, no-obligation quote from MickeyTravels
Find articles like this helpful? Then why not consider working with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? As an agent with MickeyTravels, I’ll be on hand to assist you with everything from finding your perfect package to helping you plan lots of special touches to make your visit truly magical. Best of all my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch at 1.800.801.4025 via email at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along
Source: Orange County Register