Universal Studios Hollywood Requests Approval For L.A. County Theme Parks to Reopen

Although Universal Orlando Resort is opening their theme parks to passholders tomorrow, June 3rd, Universal Studios Hollywood has not announced reopening dates for CityWalk or the theme park.

Universal Orlando

Yesterday, one of the unions representing a group of Universal Hollywood’s workers shared that the theme park is “hopeful” to be reopen in July. As of today, this idea could be gaining traction.

According to Variety, the president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios Hollywood, Karen Irwin, asked the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to permit theme park workers to start preparing for a reopening.

©NBCUniversal

Irwin shared at a meeting of the county’s Economic Resiliency Task Force stating, “Theme parks actually offer a more controlled environment than beaches, gardens or hiking trails.” She referenced parks’ abilities to limit capacity, promote physical distancing, and manage guest flow. She noted that expecting theme parks to be some of the last facilities to reopen is a “misconception” because a large portion of guests’ time is spent outdoors.

©David Sprague/Universal Studios Hollywood

She requested “approval to begin the reopening process immediately in order to get [their] employees back to work,” and stated “L.A. County parks will be ready to begin reopening between mid-June and July 1.”

Irwin added that since international travel may not return to “2019 levels” until 2023, the park will likely rely on local visitors.

As of press time, Disneyland has not released a reopening date and the resort is only accepting reservations starting in mid-July, but we will keep you updated on the latest Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland news.

If you lived near a Universal park, would you visit if it was open this month? Let us know in the comments.