According to at least one analyst, it will be some time before anyone will be returning to Disneyland and Disney World thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
Both Disney began closing its U.S. theme parks on March 13. It then announced on March 27 that the parks would remain closed until further notice. As the pandemic continues, Disney has continued canceling plans guests have with them further and further out. As it stands as of now, it seems unlikely the parks will reopen before June.
On Monday, Swiss banking giant UBS alerted investors that it feels that Disney will not reopen its parks until Jan. 1, 2021, and that attendance will more than likely be no more than 50% of 2019 levels for some time.
“Moreover, we now believe the lingering effects of the outbreak — including crowd avoidance, new health precautions, etc. — will dramatically reduce the profitability of these businesses even after they are reopened until a vaccine is widely available,” the report said.
Stay-at-home orders at various levels of government will dictate some of the plans, but as of now, both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort have announced plans to stay closed until at least May 31.
Previous to the current pandemic, Disneyland had only closed three previous times – the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 9/11 terror attacks, and for an earthquake – and each of those times were for a day each. How will Disney go about reopening its parks? Only time will tell, but it is an understatement to say we are in unprecedented territory.
