Coronavirus has Disney assuring customers that parks, resorts are safe
Walt Disney Resort and Disneyland Resort are both still open for business -- but with additional prevention tactics
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As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, The Walt Disney Company has assured customers of its cleanliness standards and safety protocols.
This week, the media conglomerate published a letter from Dr. Pamela Hymel, the chief medical officer for Disney Parks, explaining the steps the company is taking at its North American parks and resorts in light of the spread of COVID-19.
The Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida, and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, are both still open and are following “high standards of cleanliness and health and safety protocols,” Hymel wrote.
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Those protocols include training cast members on cleanliness, having specific “cycles” for cleaning and disinfecting, having available handwashing and hand sanitizing stations and quickly cleaning up spills and trash.
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The company also said it cleans bathrooms, kitchens and other facilities at the end of every day and frequently cleans outdoor walkways and queues.
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To add to its existing protocols, Disney has added more hand sanitizing stations around the parks -- which are listed on the park apps -- and increased its disinfection practices in “high guest contact areas,” Hymel said in the letter. The company has also added information on hygiene around the parks and resorts.
Walt Disney World (pictured) in Florida and Disneyland Resorts in California have remained open despite coronavirus fears, the company said earlier this week. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
“We are carefully monitoring the evolving coronavirus situation and are in regular contact with health agencies for information and guidance.”
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At the company’s annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina, former CEO and current executive chairman Bob Iger said the company is “sobered” by the “global crisis.”
“These are challenging times for everyone, but it’s also important to note that throughout our company’s nearly century-long history, Disney has been through a lot, including wars and economic downturns and natural disasters,” he told shareholders.
“We’ve demonstrated repeatedly over the years is that we are incredibly resilient,” Iger added. “Our future has always been bright and it remains so for good reason.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIS | THE WALT DISNEY CO. | 115.07 | +5.94 | +5.44% |
On Monday, Disney’s theme park in China, Shanghai Disney Resort, partially reopened.
The resort had closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak but reopened select shops, restaurants and “recreational experiences” in specific areas of the resort, according to its website.
Shanghai Disneyland has remained closed in order to “monitor health and safety conditions.”