California theme parks allowed to reopen as early as April 1

Theme parks in California could be reopening much sooner than expected.

On Friday, California updated its reopening guidelines, allowing Disneyland and other theme parks to reopen as soon as next month, according to an announcement from the state Department of Public Health.

Theme parks -- as well as sports events and live performances with attendees -- will be allowed to reopen outdoors, with reduced capacity and "consistent masking," on April 1, the announcement said.

However, venues will have to limit attendance to in-state visitors. Sports events and live performances will even have to limit attendance to regional visitors, depending on the county’s coronavirus case rates, according to the announcement.

"With case rates and hospitalizations significantly lower, the arrival of three highly effective vaccines and targeted efforts aimed at vaccinating the most vulnerable communities, California can begin gradually and safely bringing back more activities, especially those that occur outdoors and where consistent masking is possible," Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency said in a statement. "Even with these changes, California retains some of the most robust public health protocols in the country."

In order to reopen on April 1, theme parks will have to be in a county that is in the "Red tier" -- considered the "substantial" level on California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy system.

Previously, theme parks weren’t al... (Read more)

Tweets mentioned:

https://twitter.com/DisneyParksNews/status/1367974539397795844

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