The magic of Disney and characters like Mickey Mouse and Jack Sparrow shone again in Florida this Saturday with the reopening of two of the Orlando theme parks, although it does so overshadowed by the growing threat of COVID-19.
Under strict security measures the doors of Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom They opened this Saturday for the general public, while those of EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studio They will do the same on July 15 following “a phased strategy” derived from the experience gained in the parks of Shanghai and Hong Kong.
The diehard followers of the world Disney With an annual pass they were able to access the two parks on Thursday, July 9.
Before Disney, they opened Universal, SeaWorld and other Orlando theme parks that were closed for more than three months.
Most of the attractions of Magic Kingdom y Animal Kingdom They are available to those who comply with measures such as wearing a mask at all times if they are over two years of age, not using cash to pay and undergoing temperature controls.
In addition, the daily number of visitors is subject to limits.
The restaurants, shops and means of transport in the parks, where “cleaning procedures have been increased”, they also have limited capacity to comply with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and have physical barriers to protect To visitors.
Walt Disney World It expects that the parks will be at their maximum capacity for the first few days, since last June the reopening tickets were sold out a few hours after the reservation system was activated.
One of the novelties of the reopening is the new version of the food festival Epcot International Food & Wine, which will take place from July 15 and will be maintained during the summer and fall, so that visitors can enjoy meals from all over the world in compliance with security measures.
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Controversial reopening
Florida is one of the states where the Covid-19 It has been hitting more virulently since mid-June, with thousands of new cases daily and an uptick in deaths, an increase in hospitalizations and a higher percentage of test positive cases.
It is currently the state with the highest number of cases in the entire country (more than 244,000) after New York and California, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (Maryland).
According to official data, there are currently more than 6,000 people admitted to Florida medical centers for COVID-19.
Orange County, where the city of Orlando is located, accumulates a total of 16,148 cases of the disease, of which 78 have been fatal.68.87% of the infections in Orlando have been detected in the last twenty days.
These figures have raised concerns in the population and there are already more than 19,000 people who have signed a petition on the MoveOn.org platform to “not open the parks until it is safe”, since “the virus has not disappeared in Florida and the situation has worsened. ”
“Delaying the reopening is the best option so as not to expose thousands of theme park employees and their families to the virus. As individuals working in the bustling tourism industry in central Florida, we are responsible for ensuring the safety of our guests. and our colleagues, “argues the campaign.
In addition, the Actors Equity Association representing 750 actors working in Walt Disney World He filed a complaint last Thursday with the company by failing to respond to a request to test workers for the coronavirus.
Disney, the entertainment capital
Before the pandemic, Orlando theme parks tan they had only closed seven times since they were inaugurated in 1971 by major hurricanes such as Irma, Matthew or Floyd and by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
With the reopening of the Disney parks, Orlando becomes the entertainment capital for Americans in a week in which the professional soccer league resumed competition in this city and waiting for the NBA to do the same at the end of the month in the facilities that the park company has.
Both competitions will be held in the “bubble” created by Disney in the ESPN Wide World Sports complex Through which they will be isolated and the contact of the players, coaches and other team members with people from outside will be limited to the maximum.
At the moment, two MLS teams will not participate in the tournament, which has already started, due to the high number of positives detected among the players, Nashville SC and FC Dallas, who were withdrawn from the “MLS is Back” tournament with which the league intends to end the season.
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