Disneyland Could Return at 50% Capacity Once Given Go Ahead By State
While Disneyland stills plays the waiting game when it comes to the state of California giving the go ahead to reopening the theme parks, insiders are starting to speculate as to what the reopened theme parks might look like. According to a recent piece in the OC Register, Disneyland could let in 25,000 to 30,000 visitors per day and still allow for 6 ft of social distancing per person.
The piece argues that even with COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place, new data analysis highlights that Disneyland Resort is in a position to “comfortably accommodate” 50% of the 110-acre theme parks attendance capacity. This figures are based on a recent analysis by the Thinkwell Group.
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog then you know that Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and other California theme parks have been closed since March as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The parks were supposed to open back in July however a spike in coronavirus cases this Summer meant that the parks would remain closed indefinitely.
However, while Disneyland waits for the go-ahead from Governor Gavin Newsom the theme parks in Florida, France, Japan and Shanghai have reopened with limited attendance and new health and safety protocols put into place. Hong Kong Disneyland reopened in mid-June but reclosed in mid-July after a spike in COVID-19 cases. The park in Hong Kong is expected to re-reopen soon after the city cleared theme parks to return.
Before COVID-19, DIsney drew in about 51,140 visitors per day. This meant a theme park density of around 500 – 650 people per acre. By cutting those numbers in half you get 250 – 325 per acre which according to Thinkwell is where attendance should be were social distancing measures put into place. As we’ve previously reported here at MickeyBlog, post COVID-19 protocols suggest 6ft of social distancing allowing 140 square feet per person and 200 square feet for groups.
Photo Credit: KTLA.com – DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images
Thankfully, Disneyland will have a number of models to follow when it comes to effective reopening strategies including in Florida, France, Japan and China when the California park reopens to the public. For instance, Shanghai Disneyland opened to about 24,000 visitors or 30% of the parks 80,000 capacity. It is estimated that Shanghai Disney adjusted down these caps even further to avoid backups in the parks and to give visitors and cast members time to adjust to the new safety protocols!
We are anxiously awaiting the news of the Disneyland’s reopening and promise to keep you posted as and when we find out details. So keep checking back with us regularly!
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Source: OC Register
