Disneyland Delivers Harsh Criticism of California's Reopening Guidelines

Disney is pushing back against California's strict guidelines for the reopening of theme parks.

The state set a path for Disneyland Resort and other theme park reopenings on Tuesday. However, it could be weeks or months before the COVID-19 criteria are met and Disneyland and other large parks can open at 25 percent capacity with enhanced health and safety measures in place.

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Theme parks can reopen when their county makes it out of the red tier of the state's four-tier opening system.

"We have proven that we can responsibly reopen, with science-based health and safety protocols strictly enforced at our theme park properties around the world," Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The State of California continues to ignore this fact, instead mandating arbitrary guidelines that it knows are unworkable and that hold us to a standard vastly different from other reopened businesses."

"Together with our labor unions we want to get people back to work, but these State guidelines will keep us shuttered for the foreseeable future, forcing thousands more people out of work, leading to the inevitable closure of small family-owned businesses, and irreparably devastating the Anaheim/Southern California community," Potrock concluded.

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— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) October 20, 2020

While Disney officials have pointed to recent reopenings as evidence they can resume operations in a safe and responsible manner, California isn't so convinced.

According to The Hill, the state sent observers to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which reopened this past July. "The level of mixing, even without masks...seemed very random and concerning to us," said Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary.

Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state doesn't "anticipate in the immediate term any of these larger parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data." "We feel there's no hurry to put out guidelines, and we continue to work with the industry," he added.