Walt Disney Co. announced that Disneyland in California and Disney World will remain indefinitely closed as the coronavirus continues to spread across the country.
The company released a statement Friday that said the parks would remain closed “until further notice.”
“While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of COVID-19, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees remains The Walt Disney Company’s top priority,” the statement read. According to the company, employees who work on hourly wages will be paid through April 18.
“As a result of this unprecedented pandemic and in line with direction provided by health experts and government officials, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice,” the company said.
The parks, which together employ more than 100,000 people, were initially shut down on March 14 with plans to reopen at the end of the month.
“The Walt Disney Company has been paying its cast members since the closure of the parks, and in light of this ongoing and increasingly complex crisis, we have made the decision to extend paying hourly parks and resorts cast members through April 18,” the statement continued.
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) March 27, 2020
Disneyland has closed only twice before. The first time was during a national day of mourning following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and the second time was after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The United States has had more than 97,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 1,400 deaths, according to the tracker from Johns Hopkins University.
