Disney Cruise Line updated their policies for Guests who have recently recovered from COVID-19.
In some cases, people who have recently recovered from COVID-19 may still test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If Guests have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within 11-90 days of their sail date, they may qualify to be considered as “90-Day-Recovered.” With the appropriate documentation and subsequent approval, Guests considered “90-Day-Recovered” are not required to participate in COVID-19 testing during the Pre-Sail, Embarkation or Disembarkation phases of their voyage.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has announced today that it will be closing its doors to all Guests beginning 7 January 2022. The move comes amid a rise in COVID-19 infections across the area with the Disney Park temporarily closing for at least two weeks.
Located near Penney’s Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort — home to Hong Kong Disneyland Park and hotels like Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, and Disney Explorers Lodge — the Disney Park was the second expansion into Asia after Tokyo Disney Resort opened many years earlier. Hong Kong Disneyland Park was built after Walt Disney’s first theme park location, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and features Disney characters, popular rides, and fireworks celebrations. Now, the popular theme park destination will shut down operations for an extended period.
Per Yahoo!:HONG KONG, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co will shut down its Hong Kong Disneyland park from Jan. 7 to Jan. 20 as coronavirus cases rise in the city, the company said on Wednesday.
Hong Kong’s government announced tightened restrictions on Wednesday including a ban on some incoming flights as authorities feared a fifth wave of infections.
The closure announcement was also shared by DLP Report (@DLPReport) on Twitter. They said:Due to a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, Hong Kong Disneyland will be closing temporarily on January 7, 2022 for 14 days.
Due to a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, Hong Kong Disneyland will be closing temporarily on January 7, 2022 for 14 days. pic.twitter.com/nvbbr8L0Lm
While the news currently states the Disney Resort will be closed for 14 days, the current Hong Kong Disneyland Park calendar has blacked out all forthcoming dates, suggesting that the Disney vacation spot will only reopen as and when it is deemed safe to do so.
This extended closure comes just weeks after the Disney Park saw an abrupt shutdown when government officials ordered those visiting, or working at the Park as Cast Members, to take an antigen test upon exit leaving Guests backed up in lines for hours. This one-day closure stretched into multiple days but Hong Kong Disneyland Resort was able to reopen shortly after.
For the second day in a row, Florida has set a record for daily number of new COVID cases.
Yesterday the Sunshine State reported 31,758 new COVID-19 cases, a number that surpassed Florida’s previous all-time high number of cases in one day that was set in August during the height of the wave of infections from the Delta variant of the coronavirus. That record was 27,802 new coronavirus cases in one day.
Today, however, Florida has reported 32,850 new cases, making today its worst day for numbers of new COVID cases since the beginning of the global pandemic that has cost nearly 800,000 American lives so far.
The positive news is that not a single death from coronavirus was reported for today.
In addition to having a new one-day record for new coronavirus cases, a majority of counties within the Sunshine State are now considered “high” risk counties for community spread as positivity rates in COVID testing have skyrocketed over the last week. As of today, 41 of the 67 counties in Florida have this recognition from the United States Centers for Disease Control.
Private businesses are not completely exempt either, as the new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis requires even those employers to include exemption status for employees who refuse the vaccine because of religious or medical reasons. Also, under the new law, employees in Florida who have already had COVID-19 are exempt from vaccine mandates, as are those employees who agree to, and comply with, routine testing for the virus and commit to wearing personal protective equipment like masks, etc.
The Sunshine State’s new record means that since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,897,138 Florida residents have been infected by COVID-19, and 62,264 Florida residents have lost their lives to coronavirus infections and complications.
Millions of people travel during the holidays. Whether they travel by car, bus, train, or plane, it seems that everyone is going somewhere to celebrate and everyone has their plans set, and for tens of thousands of people, those plans include a visit to a Disney Park. Unfortunately, for some people who were planning on visiting Disneyland Paris this Christmas, they will have to make other arrangements.
Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, France has shut down its borders to those traveling from the United Kingdom — which includes Guests from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — unless there is a “compelling reason” to enter the country. That means that any Guests from the UK who were planning on visiting Disneyland Paris this Christmas or New Year’s will have to change their plans.
According to the French government, a compelling reason to travel could include working in the health or research sector, being a top-tier athlete, being an exchange student, or traveling due to the the death or grave illness of a relative.Vacation or work-related travel is banned. French and EU nationals, as well as residents in France, are exempt from the new rule.However, all those traveling from the UK to France, whether they’re vaccinated or non-vaccinated, must also show a negative PCR or lateral flow test taken within 24 hours.The travelers must also quarantine upon arrival in France for 48 hours, as they await a negative PCR test result. Travelers will have to register their place of isolation on a digital platform.The prime minister’s office said that checks will be carried out by French authorities to enforce quarantines.UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps confirmed via Twitter that hauliers traveling across the Channel will remain exempt from these new rules.
Omicron is the newest variant taking hold in the world’s fight against COVID-19. While studies have shown that it appears to be less severe amongst those who are vaccinated, it is still highly contagious. Omicron is spreading as the world still struggles to get a handle on the Delta variant that became the main variant of the virus earlier this year.
Hong Kong Disneyland closed its gates for the entire day Wednesday, and according to Disney’s website, it continues to be closed today. The site says that the decision to cease operations temporarily came from “an abundance of caution” related to a single confirmed case of a novel coronavirus infection among its visitors to the park on Sunday.
A similar scenario took place at Shanghai Disneyland only weeks ago. After that park’s closure, visitors inside the gates were subjected to mass testing by health care workers, per orders from government authorities.
When the positive result was discovered at Hong Kong Disneyland, it was announced that the park would close for the day on Wednesday. Unlike Disney’s U. S. parks, Hong Kong Disneyland is not wholly owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Disney’s fifth theme park to be built is owned by a joint venture company, Hongkong International Theme Parks Limited, the Hong Kong Government, and The Walt Disney Company.
The Guest who was positive after COVID testing had only recently come into the country from Indonesia and had complied with the mandatory quarantine for 21 days.
Because the government of Hong Kong, which is somewhat separate from the government of mainland China, has ownership in the Hong Kong Disneyland Park located in Lantau Island, decisions to close because of the pandemic, or for any other reason are not solely left to Disney, and this is even more obvious within the confines of the global coronavirus crisis. The Hong Kong government is instrumental in decisions about closures at Hong Kong Disneyland, and it is the entity responsible for Hong Kong laws and statutes related to COVID-19 and the measures implemented to help slow or stop the spread of the virus.
When the decision to close was made, the government also announced that visitors at Hong Kong Disneyland on Sunday, November 14 would be required to have COVID testing performed. That mandatory testing must be completed by today, Thursday, November 18.
Hong Kong Disneyland has seen multiple COVID related closures, beginning with its initial closure in early 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak was in its infancy. Only weeks later, every Disney Park had fallen victim to early pandemic closures in an effort to keep Guests and Cast Members safe.
