Local Officials Say ‘It’s Time’ to Open Disneyland, Encourage Public to Write to Gov.

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todd ament reopen oc now

Credit: Screenshot via Reopen OC Now Press Conference

When will Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen? Though the public doesn’t yet know, they are tired of waiting. Local officials held a press conference yesterday to express the need to reopen theme parks, sharing that it’s time to get people back to work and get the economy on the road to recovery.

The press conference at the rooftop restaurant of the Grand Legacy Hotel at the Park, which typically welcomes Guests with views that overlook Disney California Adventure park. Only right now, the hotel is closed, and instead of overlooking a lively, bustling theme park, its backdrop was the currently closed Disneyland Resort.

disneyland main street usa
Credit: Disney

“When this year started, 2020 was anticipated to be one of Anaheim’s best in history,” said Todd Ament, President and CEO of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. He shared the numerous events that were originally scheduled to take place and restaurants and venues that were supposed to be opening their doors. “Then on March 17, our economy came to a sudden halt with the statewide mandates to shelter in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. Everyone agreed it was the right thing to do at the time, and we all complied.”

Ament continued, “Fast forward to today, and our cities are now facing record unemployment, unprecedented closures of our stadiums, convention center, and resort district. In fact, this is the six-month mark for the closure of the Disneyland Resort behind us today.”

He shared that the economic impact of the pandemic-related closures is $1.3 billion to date.

“The time is now to reopen theme parks and restore the economic vitality we’ve lost over the last six months,” Ament said.

reopen orange county
Credit: Reopen OC Now website

To coincide with the press conference yesterday, local Orange County officials launched their new campaign: Reopen OC Now. On the official campaign website, it states that the Orange County community is struggling, and it’s time for theme parks to reopen to the public.

Our community is struggling. With at least 193,000 jobs lost, it’s time to get people back to work and reopen the economic engine of our Southern California economy.

Guest and employee safety have always been Disneyland Resort’s #1 priority. That remains true today especially now when safety has never mattered more.

With our economy and community struggling, we can’t let our theme parks get left behind. It’s been nearly six months since theme parks were shut down. It is time to get people back to the jobs they love and make sure our city can reopen safely, for all of us.

It’s time and Disneyland has proven it is ready through the successful reopening of Downtown Disney in Anaheim and its other parks around the world. Click the link below to urge Governor Newsom to help our parks safely reopen.

The Reopen OC Now website also encourages the public to take action and write letters to Governor Gavin Newsom and the State of California. If you are interested in reading more or want to view the letter that is being sent to state officials, click here.

You can watch the full press conference from yesterday in the video below:

Disneyland Resort and the rest of Orange County continue to wait for more updates from Newsom and California officials. This week, the governor shared that updates regarding the guidelines for reopening theme parks should be coming “very, very shortly,” though we don’t know when that will be. The City of Anaheim has continued to urge Newsom to provide answers for reopening Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, and even Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock released a statement expressing Disney’s disappointment.

We will update Inside the Magic with more information pertaining to Disneyland Resort reopening as it becomes available.

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