Following the recent efforts of state officials and theme park representatives, the Anaheim City Council has spoken out in support of a bill to accelerate the reopening of the theme parks of the Disneyland Resort.

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Local Orange County news source Voice of OC reported Wednesday that the “Anaheim City Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to support a state assembly bill that would alter the reopening guidelines for theme parks.”
Per our previous report, the state assembly bill proposed by California Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva and co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez-Valladares seeks to amend the California theme park reopening guidelines in Governor Gavin Newsom’s Blueprint For a Safer Economy so that large theme parks and small theme parks will be treated equally.

Read More: Exclusive: Anaheim City Official Speaks on Disneyland Protocol
Currently, smaller theme parks with a capacity of less than 15,000 are allowed to reopen in tier 3, while large theme parks — including Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Orange County and Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles County — are allowed to reopen in tier 4.
According to the current guidelines, the Disneyland Resort theme parks cannot reopen until Orange County reaches tier 4, the least restrictive tier, which would mean there would only be one new COVID-19 case per 100,000 residents, per day, in the entire county.

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The California assembly members who put forth this bill want all theme parks to be allowed in tier 3. In order for a county to reach tier 3, there would have to be 1-3.9 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, per day.
“Nobody is saying we want to reopen Disneyland today,” Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu said, as reported by Voice of OC. “This legislation does not seek to change the tiers. It only expresses that large theme parks with the bigger footprints and significantly greater resources to establish safety protocols should be able to open in the same tier as the small parks.”

Related: Downtown Disney District, Buena Vista Street Hit Capacity
No matter what, all parks are required to adapt to the pandemic and implement health and safety protocol. Attendance must be limited to 25%, face masks must be required, and other measures will be implemented in order to operate the theme parks during the pandemic.
Disneyland officials have shared that they are prepared to reopen responsibly with health and safety measures in place. The California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA), which represents both larger parks and smaller parks within the state, has outlined exactly why they believe all theme parks should be able to reopen sooner. You can read more here.

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One Anaheim council member voted against the resolution to support the bill that would allow Disneyland to reopen sooner. Council member Jose Moreno said that although he appreciates the concern for the local economy, he also believes public health should be the primary focus. He shared that when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen, the city will be welcoming thousands of visitors every day, which would put both local residents and employees at risk.
“If we urge legislation to allow theme parks to open of any size, we’re basically saying that COVID is in the same context at Adventure City in Stanton as it would be at Disneyland,” Moreno said.

At this time, the theme park reopening guidelines in California have remained the same for months, and there is no telling when exactly Disneyland Resort will reopen its theme park gates or its three hotels.
More Information: Disney Doesn’t Expect to Reopen Disneyland Anytime Soon
However, Guests can currently visit the Downtown Disney District (and, by extension, for the time being, Buena Vista Street in DCA), which is open to limited attendance for shopping and dining only. Soon, Disney will share more details about the limited-time ticketed event coming soon to Disney California Adventure. So, although Guests can’t hug Mickey Mouse or ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds, there is still some magic in Southern California.

Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for the latest information on the Southern California Disney Parks and all Disney theme parks worldwide.