Petition calling on Disneyland to pump the brakes on its reopening gains momentum


Not everyone is ready to hop on Space Mountain or indulge in a Dole Whip.
A Change.org petition calling on Disneyland to reschedule its reopening has more than 33,100 signatures as of Sunday night. Disney announced last week that Disneyland and California Adventure will reopen on July 17, after being closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The petition, launched Thursday night by "We Are Anonymous," points out that COVID-19 cases in California are "rising and have not dropped. Many people have lost loved ones due to this pandemic and by reopening the parks they are endangering cast members and guests to be exposed to COVID-19." Reopening now is "irresponsible and greedy," the petition says, and the parks should stay closed until cases of COVID-19 "drop and health officials state it is safer for everyone, but to still practice social distancing."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Disney has said it will have strict safety measures in place, including more cleaning and disinfection across the parks, giving employees personal protective equipment, and having guests undergo temperature checks before entering.
"I don't think Disneyland reopening is an absolute catastrophe, but it's all in the execution," Andrew Noymer, a professor of public health at UC Irvine, told the Daily Pilot. Regardless of how many precautions are in place, though, there will still be risks. "Even assuming everyone masks, how do you eat cotton candy or a snow cone through a mask?" Noymer said. "There will be some unmasking, at least partly."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90's
Feature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
'There are compelling arguments for and against homework'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Mamdani is promising government-run grocery stores. How would that work?
Talking Points The goal: To make food cheaper and more accessible
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off