Disney World’s reopening plans do not face any new resistance from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, despite a recent spike in new coronavirus cases in the state.
DeSantis announced that the state has no plans to reduce the restart dates they have already approved.
“We are monitoring all aspects of COVID-19 in Florida and have no plans to reverse any approved reopening business plans at this time,” the governor’s office said in a statement to the WSTP.
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This includes the largest employer in central Florida: Disney World.
The Florida theme park, whose reopening plans were approved in May, is still open as of July 11, despite pleas from cast members urging government officials and park executives to delay their plans by the safety of guests and staff members.
Many of his concerns were detailed in a petition on moveon.org, which has since collected more than 12,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
An entrance to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on August 19, 2015 (iStock)
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“Due to the sudden increase in cases, it is clear that theme parks, a nonessential business, should not be planning to operate until cases have dropped again,” the petition said. “While theme parks are a great way to relax and enjoy free time, it is not an essential business; it is not fair that the people who work there risk their lives, especially if they are at risk or have family members who are at risk. People are more important than making a profit. “
Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks are slated to open on July 11, followed by EPCOT and Hollywood Studios on July 15. The phased reopening will effectively end with a nearly four-month shutdown that stifled business for the employer who has a workforce of 77,000 employees.
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However, the petition suggests that Disney should halt its reopening plans until the cases have dropped again and that “retiring to an earlier Phase in the reopening” is the best way to avoid exposing the thousands of theme park employees and their families to the virus.
Representatives for Walt Disney World and Governor DeSantis did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Last week, Florida’s number of cases passed the 100,000-person mark. On Tuesday, the Sunshine State had 103,503 cases, a daily jump of 3,286 cases. Florida also reported 3,238 deaths, an increase of 64 from the previous day. The recently announced cases ranged from the top federal prosecutor in Tallahassee to 11 athletes on different teams at the University of Florida.
Rather, Disney announced that it was postponing the reopening of its southern California theme parks in mid-July until it receives guidelines from the state. Disney will also delay the July 23 reopening of its Grand Californian and Paradise Pier hotels.
The rapid reversal came after Governor Gavin Newsom expressed concern over the reopening amid recent increases in COVID-19 infections in southern California counties.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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