Chapek Calls CA Reopening Guidelines Arbitrary
Bob Chapek and The Walt Disney Company speak out…
Tough day for Disney, eh. What with Senator Elizabeth Warren calling out Disney for many of its recent business moves.
But no matter, CEO Bob Chapek and The Walt Disney Company are not holding any punches as adversity rises from without.
And that goes double for California’s handling of theme parks during the COVID-19 crisis, particularly Disneyland.
The OCRegister.com’s Brady MacDonald explaind:
Photo: CNBC
Disney CEO Bob Chapek says California’s “arbitrary” theme park reopening guidelines have been set up by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration “without regard for actual fact” and are the most stringent standards in the United States.
Chapek commented on California theme park reopening guidelines during an interview with CNBC’s “Closing Bell.”
“It seems to me that the guidelines that are set up by the state of California are more stringent than any state across the country,” Chapek told CNBC.
If you look at the history of Disney and what we’ve been able to do during the reopening — rather than arbitrary standards set up without regard to actual fact — and what we’ve been able to do as a company, I think you’d come to a different decision about reopening Disneyland.”
File image from Summer 2020.
Obviously, there are two sides to every story, and some might point to a recent kerfuffle about how Downtown Disney and workers with COVID-19.
However, none other than The New York Times reported on Disney’s success at Walt Disney World.
And The Walt Disney Company has consistently put forward their track record during the pandemic:
https://twitter.com/DisneyParksNews/status/1314023556720648192?s=20
https://twitter.com/DisneyParksNews/status/1311044474793947137?s=20
The Mouse Fights Back
And, even today, Disney responded to Senator Warren’s criticsms.
Disney responds to "misinformed letter" from Sen. Elizabeth Warren https://t.co/IQeoNGPydM pic.twitter.com/aS1EFqzobl
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 14, 2020
Disney responded to Warren’s “misinformed” letter Tuesday afternoon.
Senator Warren’s misinformed letter contains a number of inaccuracies. We’ve unequivocally demonstrated our ability to operate responsibly with strict health and safety protocols in place at all of our theme parks worldwide, with the exception of Disneyland Resort in California, where the State has prevented us from reopening even though we have reached agreements with unions representing the majority of our Cast Members that would get them back to work,” said a Disney spokesman in a statement.
Photo: Disney
And, in regard to working with California on its guidelines, Chapek told CNBC, ““It’s not much of a negotiation… It’s pretty much a mandate that we stay closed.”
More from Bob Chapek and Disney’s re-org below:
