Now that all of the parks are closed, Disney Parks has further announced that all Walt Disney World Resort hotels will be temporarily closing at 5:00 PM on Friday, March 20, due to concerns over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Additional closures include all Disney owned-and-operated locations at Downtown Disney and Disney Springs (including the NBA Experience) which started on March 17. Individual tenants will be allowed to make decisions on whether to continue or adjust operations, such as Starbucks’ new “to-go” model.
All Disney Stores also closed on March 17. Guests are encouraged to shop online via shopDisney.
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort will also be closing on March 20. Until further notice, the only two Disney properties that remain open in the US is Disney’s Hilton Head Resort and Aulani. Earlier today, the CDC issued new guidelines recommending against public gatherings of 50 or more people. It was unsure how it would affect the remaining resorts, but it appears that Disney is heeding the CDC’s warnings. While park closures are only scheduled to last through the end of the month, additional recommendations from the CDC recommend closures of 8 weeks. It is not known when the parks and resorts will reopen to guests.
We’ll be keeping our eyes on developments here in Florida and in California, as well as in Paris, and Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong regarding the COVID-19 outbreak’s effect on Disney Parks operations and beyond.
