Credit: DisneyChina’s Shanghai Disney Resort, home to Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown, and the magical Enchanted Storybook Castle, has temporarily stopped entry to the theme park due to a reported positive case of COVID-19.
The official website for Shanghai Disney Resort released the following statement:
To cooperate with the pandemic investigation in other provinces and cities, we have temporarily suspended entry into Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown, and some attractions inside the park will also temporarily stop operating. Outdoor entertainment will continue as scheduled.
Guests who are inside the park are reminded to strictly comply with pandemic prevention measures including wearing a mask and maintaining social distance at all times.
Guests will be required to undergo nucleic acid testing at the exit when leaving the resort, and follow Centre for Disease Control guidance.
We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide information on ticket refund and exchanges for all guests impacted. Thank you for your cooperation.
While Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown have stopped admitting Guests, they have stated that outdoor entertainment and some attractions will remain open for those Guests still inside the Park. This means that the nighttime spectacular ILLUMINATE! A Nighttime Celebration at the Gardens of Imagination is set to still go ahead. It is not exactly known which attractions will face closure per the official statement but is likely to be indoor experiences.
We can see from this tweet that there is a security presence at the Shanghai Disney Resort gates as well as COVID-19 testing being performed on Guests. The translated tweet from @CHINA815890545 states:
[Park closure] Shanghai Disneyland will be closed from the evening of the 31st because one positive person was found among the guests who entered the park on October 30th. All the guests and cast members in the park went to the PCR test.
【パーク閉鎖】10/30にインパークしたゲストに陽性者1人が判明されたため、31日夕方から上海ディズニーランドが閉鎖へ。園内にいるゲストとキャスト全員PCR検査へ。#ShanghaiDisneyland #SHDL #上海ディズニーランド #Disney #Disneypark #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/hnNGDXqLDn
— CHINA8 (@CHINA815890545) October 31, 2021
From this other tweet by @ATP_Asian Tech Press it is being reported that there are 60,000 Guests waiting in line for testing:
Shanghai Disneyland has been closed this afternoon following a suspected COVID-19 outbreak. It is said that 60,000 visitors are lining up for viral tests.
Shanghai Disneyland has been closed this afternoon following a suspected COVID-19 outbreak. It is said that 60,000 visitors are lining up for viral tests. pic.twitter.com/0PVtDr8u9M
— ATP_Asian Tech Press (@AsianTechPress) October 31, 2021
Per Shine, we can ascertain the government’s stance and current Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) regulations on stopping the spread of the virus related to the Guests who had visited the Disney Park over the weekend:
The Shanghai government issued an emergency notice on Sunday night, saying all those who had been to the park on October 30-31 must report to their communities and workplaces, and should immediately conduct nucleic acid tests at the nearest medical facilities.
They should stay at home for at least the first two days, and conduct nucleic acid tests on the first, second, seventh and fourteenth day, according to the notice.
Following suit from Hong Kong Disneyland, the Shanghai Disney Resort closed in January 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic before being the first Disney Park to reopen worldwide in May 2020.
Inside the Magic will continue to update this developing story.