In a press conference on Monday, September 12, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he is sending a team to Walt Disney World Resort to inspect their health and safety protocols ahead of the state releasing its own guidelines. The news comes as the Disneyland Resort parks and other California theme parks continue to remain closed.
According to Newsom, the goal of the team visiting Florida will be to answer the following question: what can California learn from other states that have successfully reopened sectors of the economy?
“I have a whole team that spends their time not only getting the answer to that question, but asking those same questions,” Newsom said during the news conference. “And so this week, as a proof point of that, we have supported an effort to actually find out directly by sending our own team to these sites, as relates to theme parks, to get a better sense of what’s going on. While we absolutely take people’s word for information that they provide us, we want to see things for ourselves.”
During this trip, Newsom’s team will be looking for what the best practices are for reopening theme parks.
“We’re trying to get a better handle on what we’re being told, what we’re reading about, and our own concerns and our own environment as it relates to what makes our theme parks distinctive and unique,” Newsom said during the news conference. “What’s worked in their states and what hasn’t worked in their states as it relates to guidance, as it relates to mandates as it relates to messaging.”
The team is tasked with doing “stubborn research” to help California create their own theme park reopening guidelines.
“I want folks to come back and tell me what they saw, what their own experience was,” Newsom said during the news conference. “Because this is serious.”
Currently, it is unknown when guidelines for reopening theme parks in the state of California will arrive. At this point, the Governor has said he is in no hurry to issue the reopening guidelines. Disney Chairman recently resigned from the California economic recovery task force after apparent disagreements with the governor. Disney’s Chief Medical Officer has also spoken out saying that the Disneyland Resort can be reopened without compromising a “health first” approach to reopening that the governor is advocating.
DAPS MAGIC will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available. What do you think about Governor Newsom sending a team to Florida to examine the health and safety protocols? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
