The Disneyland theme park will not be reopening next month.
The company today said it would not get state clearance in time for its proposed July 17 reopening of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim.
It remains unclear when the park might now reopen.
On June 23, California saw 7,149 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which marked a record for the state.
“The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4,” Disney said in a statement. “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.”
Disney added: “Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date.”
However, the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district, part of the Disneyland Resort, will reopen July 9.
The announcement comes in the middle of the public push-and-pull with unions representing park employees who have made it clear they feel the destination was reopening too soon, putting staff and guests alike a risk during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Coalition of Resort Labor Unions sent an open letter dated June 17 to California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressing their concern.
The same day the unions’ letter was sent, Dr. Pamela Hymel, Disney Parks chief medical officer, posted a lengthy message on the Parks’ official blog.
“We’re taking a multi-pronged approach to our reopening, after considering the guidance of various governmental authorities and health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and recommendations from our team of health and safety experts,” Hymel wrote. “We’re also actively working with industry groups and research universities to discuss best practices. At both parks, this includes reducing capacity; temperature checks for guests prior to entering our theme parks; increasing cleaning and disinfecting, especially in high-traffic areas; adjusting experiences to accommodate physical distancing; requiring face coverings for guests 2 and older; and empowering our guests with options like contactless payments and easy access to handwashing and hand sanitizer locations.”
A number of unions have planned a protest caravan around the Anaheim theme park on Saturday to express their concern over health and safety.
It is unclear if the protest will still happen amid the news about the reopening delay.
Disneyland and Walt Disney World have been closed since mid-March due to the pandemic.
The Florida theme park and resort will reopen next month, state and local clearance already granted.
Disney World will also host the remainder of the NBA and MLS seasons.