China is continuing strict COVID-19 lockdowns and this week its eye is on Disney.
On Monday, about 400,000 attendees and staff at Shanghai Disneyland were locked into the resort and not allowed to leave until they cleared COVID tests. Ten locally transmitted COVID cases were reported in the city on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown, and Wishing Star Park will be closed indefinitely to comply with pandemic prevention and control. It will notify guests when it will reopen. Ticketholder will be able to pick a date to reschedule their visit within six months of the parks reopening. Other reservations will automatically be refunded. Two resort hotels attached to the property will continue to operate.
Within the past week, China has recorded 49,374 new COVID-19 cases and 64 related deaths according to Johns Hopkins University. About 93 percent of the population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Shanghai Disneyland was closed for three months this year, reopening on June 30, due to coronavirus outbreaks. Since then, the park tried to stop the potential for spread with controlled capacity and requiring guests to have a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test taken with 72 hours of visiting. People were also required to submit to temperature screenings, wear masks, and observe social distancing rules.
During its last earnings report in August, Disney said its parks, experiences, and products division revenue reached $7.4 billion during the quarter, up 70 percent year-over-year. Disney will reports its next quarterly earnings on November 8, when it is expected to give an update on the situation in its parks division.
Disney isn't the only company to close over rising coronavirus cases. Foxconn, a manufacturer for Apple in Zhengzhou, China, told the New York Times it was asking some employees to quarantine after an outbreak in their city. Worker told Reuters they fled the factory over fears they would be locked inside during the restrictions. Foxconn says it is using "closed-loop management," meaning workers are living at their workplace where they are provided three meals a day.
Other shops and establishments in the area temporarily shut down as well. More than 800,000 people in Wuhan were also told to quarantine until Oct. 30, per the BBC.
