NEWS: Details Have Emerged Outlining the Early Draft of California’s Theme Park Guidelines

It has been a busy 24 hours or so in the world of California theme parks. Just yesterday morning, we learned the news that the state government was set to release the highly-anticipated theme park guidelines, which are required in order for parks such as the Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood to reopen. Just a few hours later, the California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA) requested that the government hold off on releasing the guidelines.

Yesterday’s back-and-forth with the guidelines was followed by an announcement this morning that the government would indeed pause on the release of these guidelines in order to work more closely with industry leaders to reach safe yet reasonable plans.

Orange County Register has released a few of the key items that were reportedly included in the early draft of the theme park guidelines. Keep in mind that according to CAPA, many of the items included in the draft “need to be modified if they are to lead to a responsible and reasonable amusement park reopening plan.”

Here is what was reportedly included in the early draft:

• Individual theme parks to reopen once their county reaches the least-restrictive “minimal” risk level
• Operate at 25% of attendance capacity
• Limit visitors to residents living within a 120-mile radius of each theme park

The last bullet item that would limit visitors to those who live within a 120-mile radius of the parks, would be a highly unique guideline that we have seen since theme parks nationwide have reopened.

Looking at the first bullet point, the “minimal” tier would require a county to report a new case rate of less than 1 per 100,000 residents in addition to a positive test rate of less than 2%. As of this writing, Orange County is in the red “substantial” tier.

OC Register pointed out the extreme difficulty these counties will face if the “minimal” risk level tier remains in the guidelines. Orange County, where Disneyland resides, and Los Angeles County, where Universal Studios Hollywood resides, are two of the most populous counties in the nation, and would most likely face additional challenges in mitigating risk.

These reported details from the early guideline draft show that just because the guidelines exist, it does not mean that the theme parks can reopen right away. It will perhaps still be some time before any guests are allowed back into Disneyland, depending on what the final draft of the theme park guidelines look like.

We’ll continue to monitor this story and will let you know as soon as we learn more!

Click here to read more about how Disneyland is “in limbo” until the reopening guidelines are released.

Did you have 2020 travel plans to the Disneyland Resort that were impacted by the closures? Let us know in the comments.

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