- Shanghai Disneyland will become the first Disney theme park to open its doors to visitors after it was forced to shut down in January because of the coronavirus outbreak.
- Disney has announced it will reopen the main theme park on May 11, after the "successful reopening" of a few shopping areas in the park earlier in March.
- But park authorities have put in place new rules to ensure the safety of guests and staff, including limited attendance, social-distancing measures, and increased disinfection.
- Visitors must also present a government-issued Health QR code before entering the park, and are required to wear face masks at all times, except when dining.
- Staff will be given personal protective equipment (PPE) during work and will be trained on "contactless guest interaction."
- Photos show how it plans to reopen its facilities to thousands of visitors every day.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Shanghai Disneyland announced this week that it will reopen its main theme park, three months after it closed its doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
But the park's reopening is accompanied by a new set of strict measures, that include limited attendance, social distancing measures, and an "increased frequency of sanitization and disinfection," according to a press release.
The park announced earlier this week it would reopen on May 11, and tickets for the opening day went on sale Friday at 8 a.m. local time before quickly selling out.
As one of the first theme parks to reopen around the world, Disneyland Shanghai will likely serve as an example for Disney's and others' parks as they plan reopenings.
Scroll down to see how Disney's biggest international park plans to reopen its doors during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Three months after Shanghai Disneyland closed its gates to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the theme park announced it will be reopening on May 11.
Disney announced on January 24 that it would temporarily close its Shanghai attraction to control the COVID-19 outbreak.
CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Bob Chapek, said in a press release cited in CNN: "We know how much our guests have been looking forward to returning to Shanghai Disneyland, and our cast is excited to begin welcoming them back."
"As the park reopens with significantly enhanced health and safety measures, our guests will find Shanghai Disneyland as magical and memorable as ever," Chapek added.
Source: CNN
The opening of Shanghai Disneyland's main theme park comes after it already allowed visitors to enter certain shopping and dining attractions at a limited capacity in March.
According to the company website, the decision to open the main part of the theme park —which includes all the rollercoasters — came after the "successful reopening" of a few shopping areas including Disneytown, Wishing Star Park, and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel on March 10.
Source: Shanghai Disneyland
But the reopening will come with a new set of rules for both guests and staff, with the company ensuring its visitors that it will only run under "enhanced safety measures."
Source: CNN
One of the new measures will include limited and "pulsed" attendance that will be controlled with an advanced online reservation system.
"Guests are required to purchase admission tickets valid on a selected date only and Annual Pass holders must make a reservation prior to arrival," Disney said on its website.
Source: Shanghai Disneyland
Under government regulations, the park — which has a capacity of 80,000 — will be forced to first operate at 30% capacity, or 24,000 visitors.
But Chapek said the park will first operate below 24,000 visitors and then slowly ramp-up attendance over the next few weeks, according to CNBC.
Source: CNBC
Social distancing measures have also been put in place and crowd sizes will be monitored at restaurants, shops, and elsewhere. Rides will also "be loaded to promote social distancing," the company said.
Source: CNN
Before entering the park, visitors must present a government-issued Health QR code, which is used as part of a contact tracing system across China.
The "health code" service was developed for the Chinese government to keep track of people as they start moving around freely. It includes peoples' health status and can be scanned by authorities. This is how it works.
Source: CNBC
Guests will also have their temperatures screened and are required to wear face masks or coverings during the entirety of their visit, except when dining.
Source: CNN
The theme park will also increase disinfection measures, distributing hand sanitizers at ride entrances and exits and cleaning high-touch locations as much as possible.
Source: BBC
Disney's staff members will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) during work. They will also be trained on "contactless guest interaction," which includes cleaning and social distancing.
Source: CNN
The park will become the first Disney venue to reopen again — possibly providing an insight into how theme parks can restart their operations after worldwide lockdowns.
Theme parks remain closed in Disney's US locations along with venues in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
CEO Bob Chapek said on Tuesday that while a plan of how to reopen Shanghai Disneyland has been well underway, it is still "too early to predict" when the company will open its other theme parks, including major venues in Central Florida and Southern California, The Washington Post reported.
Source: BBC