Walt Disney World Resort has announced a phased reopening beginning in July 2020 after months of being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom have targeted reopening dates on July 11 and Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15.
“We want to make sure what we present to our guests when we open up is going to be a quintessential Disney experience,” Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek said of opening a month. “While we’ll have substantially lower numbers of guests, we want to make sure we do it in a responsible way.”
It will reopen at a lower capacity to ensure social distancing, though the exact number of guests that will be admitted has not been disclosed yet. Guests will be required to wear masks and their temperatures will be checked before they are allowed into the park. To avoid crowd gatherings they will not have parades, firework shows, or character meet and greets.
Efforts to sanitize and sterilize high-touch areas will be greatly increased and hand sanitizer will be available throughout the park. Park staff will help maintain social distancing within the park and a lot of new signage will also be in place throughout the resort to encourage social distancing.