California Lifts Stay-at-Home Order – What That Could Mean For Theme Parks

After spending nearly a month under a Stay-At-Home order, California has finally lifted it. This effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 closed nearly all businesses and suspending outdoor dining. The order closed down Knott’s Berry Farm’s food festivals as well as the dining at Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street.

Now that Orange County has moved back to the purple tier, here is what can and cannot be open, according to Anaheim’s website:

Can Open:

  • Appliance repair shops
  • Auto dealerships, repair, supplies
  • Banks, credit unions, other finance
  • Barbers
  • Body waxing
  • Bookstores: at 25% capacity
  • Car washes
  • Childcare
  • Clothing stores: at 25% capacity
  • Convenience stores
  • Dance studios: outdoors only where possible
  • Day camps
  • Doctors, dentists
  • Drive-in theaters, concerts, events
  • Dry cleaners
  • Electrician services
  • Electrology services
  • Family entertainment centers (mini golf, batting cages, go-karts): outdoors only
  • Farmers markets
  • Florists: at 25% capacity
  • Gas stations
  • Government services
  • Grocery stores: at 50% capacity
  • Gyms and fitness: outdoors only where possible
  • Hair salons
  • Higher education
  • Home furnishing stores: at 25% capacity
  • Hospitals, urgent care
  • Hotels
  • House cleaning
  • Heating, air services
  • Janitorial services
  • Jewelry stores
  • Landscaping
  • Laundry services
  • Libraries: at 25% capacity
  • Massage
  • Movie theaters: outdoors only
  • Museums: outdoors only where possible
  • Nail salons
  • Offices: essential businesses only
  • Pet groomers
  • Pharmacies
  • Piercing shops
  • Places of worship: outdoors only
  • Plumbing services
  • Professional sports: without fans
  • Restaurants: outdoor dining, takeout only
  • Retailers (other than called out here): at 25% capacity
  • Shopping centers, indoors: at 25% capacity
  • Short-term rentals
  • Skin care
  • Sporting goods stores: at 25% capacity
  • Tattoo parlors
  • Toy stores: at 25% capacity
  • Yoga studios: outdoors only
  • Youth sports: practices, camps only

Must Remain Closed

  • Arcades, indoor
  • Bowling alleys, indoors
  • Anaheim Convention Center
  • Banquets
  • Bars, breweries, lounges without onsite kitchens
  • Dancing halls, venues
  • Disneyland Resort theme parks
  • Distilleries
  • Festivals
  • Ice rinks
  • Live theater, music, entertainment, other than drive-in
  • Nightclubs
  • Saunas, steam rooms
  • Sports, adult, youth: tournaments, games

As you can see, this order does not mean that the Disneyland Resort or Knott’s Berry Farm theme parks will open in their pre-COVID-19 glory. What we could see is the reopening of outdoor dining at both theme parks.

While there is currently no announcement from Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm, I hope to see Knott’s continue the food festivals that they were holding before the Stay-At-Home order. Traditionally, this time of year is the Knott’s PEANUTS Celebration with the Boysenberry Festival taking place in March. I would personally love to attend a food festival for either of these events!

I believe that we will see the Disneyland Resort resume outdoor dining at both Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street. Just before the Stay-At-Home order was announced, we had a chance to enjoy Carthay Circle.  Restaurant with the new menu and we loved it! You can see the full video of our experience here.

Overall, no matter what each theme park decides to do, we simply wish everyone can stay safe. With the Disneyland Resort now acting as a vaccination site, we hope to see the return to theme parks being fully open safely soon.

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