Disneyland Resort Attendance High During Coronavirus Outbreak

ANAHEIM, CA — Sunday was a busy day at the Disneyland Resort Park in Anaheim, with lines of people arriving before park opening on the first day of daylight saving time. While the new coronavirus appeared to be on the minds of many — one attendee was seen with a tube of Clorox wipes in her backpack — the crowd appeared undeterred by concerns surrounding the virus.

Disneyland Resort's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pamela Hymel released a statement saying that the virus, officially called COVID-19, has become a "widespread concern." Still, Hymel said, the park and its associated properties are remaining transparent in their efforts to keep guests, cast members and communities safe and healthy.

"We are carefully monitoring the evolving coronavirus situation and are in regular contact with health agencies for information and guidance," Hymel said.

At Disneyland and at Walt Disney World Resort, the parks are open for business, with all cast members on deck to promote commonsense hygiene practices, she said.

"We continue to implement preventive measures in line with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local health agencies," she wrote.

Measures include fully stocked hand sanitizer stations at area restaurants, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of "high guest contact areas," and information about good hygiene practices and illness prevention being provided to guests and cast members.

At Disneyland, guests enjoying the Food and Wine festival were not deterred by the threat of COVID-19, savoring treats and sipping wine.

Hand sanitizer stations could be seen outside of all restaurants, nearby bathrooms and first aid stations across the park.

Over the weekend and across the Atlantic Ocean, Disneyland Paris reported that a maintenance cast member had contracted COVID-19. The theme park notified the worker's backstage co-workers, according to the Sun Online Travel website.

That cast member, who does not have contact with guests, tested positive and is receiving treatment, the resort spokesperson said.

"We have been in regular contact with the local health authorities and continue to implement preventive measures in line with their recommendations to help protect our guests and cast members," the park spokesperson told Sun Online Travel. Disneyland Paris remains open, as do all other Disneyland Resort Properties as of this report.

In Southern California, Patch was in the crowd with a multitude of visitors hoping for a chance at the Rise of the Resistance ride at Galaxy's Edge.

The majority of groups did their best to maintain a "personal space bubble," and more than a handful of attraction workers advised against leaning upon or touching the rails while waiting for the new Magic Happens Parade or waiting in line.

One of the more timely cast member interactions occurred at the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.

"Terrans, please do not touch, lean on, or otherwise look at the rails or you may become part of our collection," a Guardians of the Galaxy cast member said, while staying in character with the ride.

Still, concern about the coronavirus was not completely gone.

At one point, a guest sneezed into their elbow. Even though the CDC recommends using that procedure when sneezing to prevent spreading the virus, some nearby guests took a quick step back.

Nervous laughter became the order of the day.

According to Hymel, the CDC recommends following "proper respiratory cough etiquette," such as avoiding close contact with people who are sick, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands and staying home when sick.

A favorite hobby of pin trading at Disneyland became slightly problematic, due to the many hands touching pins — and one Patch editor's newfound phobia of germs. Hand sanitizer clipped to the backpack was slathered on hands before and after trading.

As for the pin-trading cast members, they seemed more inclined to let the guests do the pinning and unpinning, in most cases Patch witnessed.

More pinboards and a new "drawer-based pin game" were seen in use across the park. The game goes like this:

Pick a numbered drawer and inspect the pin inside. If you want to trade, the cast member dumps the pin into your palm. If you don't, the drawer goes back into the case.

This was a creative solution for the potentially sticky situation for guests who enjoy pin trading, with the added fun of a game of chance.

According to Hymel, Walt Disney World, Disneyland and all of our parks and resorts around the world have high standards of cleanliness and health and safety protocols in place, such as:

• Training for cast members, with ongoing reinforcement regularly.
• Defined cycles for frequent cleaning and disinfection of targeted areas.
• Easy access to handwashing facilities and hand sanitizers.
• Quick response to spills, trash, and other situations.
• End-of-day sanitation procedures for restroom, kitchen and other facilities.
• Frequent cleaning and "wash down" of outdoor locations, including walkways and queues.

Restroom attendants could be seen working to keep those spaces clean and well-stocked. Hand-washing with soap and water for 20 seconds is part of the CDC's everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses such as the new coronavirus.

One mother was seen advising her daughter to "sing the 'Happy Birthday to You' song twice" while washing their hands. Before long, that entire bathroom line was singing along as they washed their hands from filled soap dispensers.

Coronavirus or not, commonsense practice turned into a bit of magic.

It's Disneyland, after all.

"We continue to communicate about these recommendations, as well as other important health information, to our cast," Hymel said. "If you have any questions about visiting Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort, or about our response to coronavirus, you can learn more on the Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line websites, or call 407-WDisney."

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