Workers say Disney is underreporting COVID-19 cases, clearing workers to go back too soon
Since reopening its Downtown Disney shopping complex in Anaheim, California, Disney has been underreporting the number of positive COVID-19 cases and letting employees who have been infected return to work sooner than health officials say is safe, several workers and spouses told The Daily Beast.
Disneyland and California Adventure remain closed, but Downtown Disney was allowed to reopen in early July. There are several hundred employees working there, and no on-site coronavirus testing; The Daily Beast reports that in a letter sent to the dozen unions representing employees, Disney Labor Relations Director Bill Pace said on-site coronavirus testing was "not viable" because of too many "false negatives."
Four people familiar with the matter said Disney is not being forthcoming when it comes to reporting the number of coronavirus cases among workers; unions are notified when a member tests positive, but the news typically doesn't come until several days later, leading to further exposure. During the first week Downtown Disney was back open, a gardener went home sick, and after being tested on his own, learned he had coronavirus, two people told The Daily Beast. Co-workers didn't know they were exposed until a week later, when Disney confirmed the positive results.
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.
Alicia, a woman whose spouse works for Disney, told The Daily Beast that everything employees know about COVID-19 "has come from word of mouth," with co-workers calling or texting the latest updates. "Disney management is not really officially acknowledging that any of this is happening," she said.
The Daily Beast also learned from a member of Downtown Disney's Horticulture Irrigation team who tested positive for COVID-19 in late July that on Aug. 2, five days after receiving his test results, Disney cleared him to return to work. He had not spent two weeks in isolation or had a negative test result. The man told The Daily Beast he went back to work on Aug. 3.
The Daily Beast contacted 11 different unions, and none were able to confirm the total number of coronavirus cases among the workforce. A spokesman for UFCW Local 324 said only two cases had been reported to the union, but Disney did not share any details on how many people they might have exposed to the virus. Disney did not respond to requests for comment.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
4-day workweek gets boost from UK study
Speed Read Following a six-month trial, the majority of participating British companies are still using the truncated schedule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published