Disneyland, and other large theme parks in California, won’t be reopening any time soon.
That’s the message California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent when asked about it during a press conference on Wednesday. The question came in the context of Disney Chairman Bob Iger’s recent departure from Newsom’s COVID-19 economy recovery task force.
Iger hasn’t publicly commented on the reason for his departure, but it came amid the news that his company, Disney, would lay off 28,000 workers in California and Florida.
Newsom said he is grateful for Iger’s support, but that the chairman’s departure didn’t come as a surprise to him.
“There’s disagreements in terms of opening a major theme park. We’re going to let science and data make that determination,” Newsom said.
The governor said his office is in no hurry to put out guidelines, but that his office has been working with the theme park industry throughout the process.
“It’s very complex. These are like small cities, small communities, small towns,” he said.
Newsom said he doesn’t anticipate major theme parks reopening in the near term until his office sees more stability in terms of COVID-19 data.
“We’re going to be led by a health-first framework, and we’re going to be stubborn about it,” he said.
Andrew Sheeler covers California’s unique political climate for the Sacramento Bee. He has covered crime and politics from Interior Alaska to North Dakota’s oil patch to the rugged coast of southern Oregon. He attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks.