Disney World reopening is a 'terrible idea,' epidemiologist warns

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Disney World is about to reopen amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Florida, but an epidemiologist is warning that "basically everybody" shouldn't go.
Disney is moving ahead with its previously announced plan to reopen its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks in Orlando, Florida, on July 11, doing so with precautions like temperature checks and a mask requirement. But since Disney originally announced this July reopening date, Florida has been breaking records for number of new COVID-19 cases. On Friday it reported more than 11,000 new infections.
With this in mind, Dr. Anne Rimoin, epidemiology professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, on Friday spoke to Variety and said that it's a "terrible idea to be opening right now" given the state's coronavirus numbers.
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.
"Moving forward with reopening, I think, is inviting disaster," Rimoin said.
Rimoin added that she'd recommend anyone in a vulnerable group or who is around anyone in a vulnerable group to "stay home" from theme parks— which, she noted, is "basically everybody."
"It just seems like a very irresponsible thing to do," Rimoin said, warning Disney World may end up being "the happiest place on Earth ... for the coronavirus."
Some Disney employees defended the steps the company has taken to reopen to Variety. Krysta White, an attractions host, said that although she has "mixed feelings" about going back to work, "I can't think of anything that Disney could have possibly done to make this a safer situation for the cast members." Other workers called for the opening date to be delayed via a petition reading, "people are more important than making a profit." It drew thousands of signatures.
Although the reopening of Disney World was not delayed, plans to reopen Disneyland in California were postponed last month as that state also experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. No new date has been announced.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.
-
Today's political cartoons — October 1, 2023
Sunday's cartoons - retail theft, Bob Medendez's bribery charge, and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: October 1, 2023
Daily Briefing Government shutdown avoided as Congress passes temporary funding bill, Supreme Court to begin new term as major cases await, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
6 thrilling reads chosen by Ken Follett
Feature The historical novelist suggests works by Frank Herbert, Charles Dickens and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Elon Musk used Starlink, which saved Ukraine, to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Crimea fleet
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Fitch downgrades US credit rating, citing 'repeated debt-limit political standoffs'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Bed Bath & Beyond relaunches online following bankruptcy
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
San Francisco's iconic Anchor Brewing is closing after 127 years
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Lawmakers say tax prep companies illegally shared taxpayer data with Meta and Google
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Microsoft wins FTC battle to acquire Activision Blizzard
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Tesla reports record quarter for sales
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
48 states sue telecom company over billions of robocalls
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published