Disneyland, California Adventure reopenings postponed

The Walt Disney Co. said on Wednesday it will delay reopening Disneyland and California Adventure, its two parks in Anaheim that had been scheduled to open on July 17.

In a statement, Disney said California will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until after July 4, and that doesn't give the company enough time to bring back workers and prepare the parks by July 17. "Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date," Disney said. Downtown Disney, a shopping complex next to the parks, will open as scheduled on July 9.

The number of coronavirus cases in California is sharply rising, with the state reporting a record 7,149 new cases on Wednesday. A petition was started earlier this month by people who said July 17 was too early to reopen, and unions representing 17,000 Disney employees sent a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) last week letting him know they worried about their safety returning to work amid the pandemic.

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A spokesman for the governor said Newsom "appreciates Disney's responsiveness to his concerns about reopening amid the recent increases in COVID-19 infections across many Southern California counties. The state and our public health experts continue to be in contact with the company and their workers — as well as other theme parks in the state — as we track and combat the spread of the virus."