Rides continue for those trapped inside Shanghai Disney

Thrill-seekers at Shanghai Disney Resort found themselves trapped inside the park after authorities announced a snap Covid lockdown.

The Disney resort “abruptly” shut its doors at around 11.30am yesterday to comply with China’s zero-Covid regulations, “after 10 cases of Covid were discovered in the city”, said The Telegraph.

The Guardian reported that on the Chinese social messaging site WeChat, “the Shanghai government said that all people were barred from entering or exiting the park, with those still inside needing to be tested and show a negative result before being allowed to leave”.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Anyone who had visited the park since Thursday would also need to test for the virus and obtain three negative tests over three days.

But those “awaiting their freedom” at the Disney resort were able to “console themselves with one positive”, said the BBC: “rides are continuing to operate for those trapped inside The Happiest Place on Earth”.

Few seemed keen to continue enjoying the rides, however. Videos posted on the social media site Weibo showed people “rushing to the park’s gates following the announcement but finding them already locked”.

No date has been given for the reopening of the park, which also unexpectedly closed in November of last year to comply with China’s zero-Covid policy when “30,000 people were trapped inside after authorities ordered everyone to be tested as part of contact tracing”.

China is “the last major economy wedded to a zero-Covid policy”, said The Telegraph, with authorities “brandishing snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines in an effort to stamp out emerging outbreaks”.

But the speed at which new variants have emerged has “tested local officials’ ability to snuff out flare-ups faster than they can spread” said the paper, ultimately forcing “much of the country to live under an ever-changing mosaic of curbs”.