Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks to close for the rest of March

Many venues have closed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, but the closing of Disneyland and Walt Disney World has probably come as the biggest surprise.

With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading and creating anxiety around large-scale gatherings, many venues have decided to close, or have been forced to due to state regulations. The most surprising shutdown, however, is probably that of Disneyland and Walt Disney World — two tourist hotspots that have rarely closed since their inception.

Still, both resorts announced that their theme parks will be closing until the end of March, with the Anaheim, Calif. location being the first to make the decision and the Orlando-based one quickly following suit. Disneyland Paris will also shut its gates until the end of the month, a response to the outbreak throughout Europe.

The Disneyland announcement came earlier this week, with the parks closing on March 14 and the hotels set to close on March 16.

Disney World, on the other hand, plans to keep its hotels and Disney Springs shopping area open amidst the park shutdown. Its parks will close on March 15, along with those in Disneyland Paris. The parks’ cast members will be compensated for the time off.

“In an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of our theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort, beginning at the close of business on Sunday, March 15, through the end of the month,” a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement obtained by CNN.

Given the amount of people that flock to Disney parks each day — along with the fact that most attendees are kids who may not be as concerned with sanitizing as their adult counterparts — the decision for these resorts to close makes a lot of sense.

But while Disney’s decision is a smart one, it also emphasizes how serious things have gotten over the past couple of weeks. Disneyland has only closed three times prior to this outbreak: during the national day of mourning for President John F. Kennedy, after Northridge earthquake, and after 9/11. Disney World, on the other hand, has only closed seven times previously — six of them for hurricanes and once for 9/11.

In addition to the theme parks closing, Disney Cruise Line is also temporarily suspending operations, adding it to a list of cruise companies doing the same. Other theme parks, like Universal Studios and Six Flags, have also made the decision to cease operations for the time being. It is not a great time to be a tourist, is it?

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.