Disneyland Workers to Protest, as Covid Cases Soar

June 24, 2020, 6:18 PM · A coalition of unions representing Disneyland cast members is planning a protest against the resort’s planned reopening, as the number of Covid cases soars in California and many other states.

The Coalition of Resort Labor Unions - the same organization that wrote to California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week - is organizing a Disney Caravan for Safety around the resort this Saturday, from 10am to noon. The unions are asking members and supporters to drive around the perimeter of the resort, from Katella up Disneyland Drive to Ball Road then down Harbor Blvd back to Katella.

Disneyland has asked government authorities for permission to open its theme parks on July 17, but so far there's been no word in response from the state. [Update: Disneyland has postponed the reopening, pending guidance from the state.]

California today reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases, with an additional 7,149 cases. A Los Angeles County health official estimated that one in between 200 and 750 county residents is currently infectious.

Remember how many different people you saw on your last trip to Disneyland (which is located in neighboring Orange County but draws most of its visitors from LA County)? Even with limited attendance, if that infection rate holds, it's almost certain that you would encounter an infectious person at the parks if Disneyland's planned temperature scan does not catch a high percentage of infectious would-be visitors... or if there's a large queue of visitors before that scan.

That's part of the reason why unions are calling for state officials to delay the parks' return. They want to feel certain that Disney - and the state - can protect them from exposure while on the job.

Covid-19 numbers are blowing up in several states across the country, including Florida. That prompted the governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut - the original epicenter of the virus' outbreak in the United States - today to impose on 14-day quarantine on people entering their states from nine other states with high infection or test positivity rates: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Texas, and Utah.

Irony: Florida originally imposed a 14-day quarantine on visitors from New York, but now the roles are reversed. That certainly won't help draw visitors to Central Florida, where Universal Orlando yesterday laid off an unspecified number of team members in reaction to forecasts that it will take years for theme park tourism to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Ultimately, the people are in charge here. When a government clears a park to reopen or the park choses to return does not matter if people refuse to visit. With news that America today set a new daily record for Covid-19 cases, it's clear that not only is this pandemic not over... it's getting worse.

And remember that hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and, ultimately, deaths are all lagging indicators. Whenever the true peak of Covid-19 infections comes, we won't be able to tell that the worst is over for a month or so later. It's hard to see how travel recovers until well past that.

But a long-off travel recovery won't help workers - in theme parks and other businesses - who in the meantime must take the risk of facing customers who won't wear masks because they're too selfish or too beholden to certain politicians to do the one of the most effective things they can to help get all of us out of this mess.

How strict will workplaces be in enforcing mask usage? That question might determine whether businesses can remain open, with an adequate supply of workers and customers, or whether we're headed back to stricter stay-at-home orders.

Or to a lot more unnecessary Covid deaths.

Replies (11)

June 24, 2020 at 6:34 PM

I seriously hate this year

June 24, 2020 at 6:40 PM

Truth. Hindsight is 2020... and I want this year in my hindsight.

June 24, 2020 at 7:05 PM

The logistics of Disney opening back up are mind boggling. 28000+ on site / partner hotel rooms, buses, shuttles, trams, monorail, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks... Universal had it easy. All of the hotels are owned by Loews and basically one huge property.

Looks like some of the employees want to mutiny as well. Not looking good for them right now.

June 24, 2020 at 8:01 PM

I don't get how young people don't realize that the taxpayer is tapped out. Especially with taxpayers seeing younger people violate the same warnings they are now giving through their union!! to not pack people into close quarters. Like young people have voluntarily done since 5/31 everyday in most of the dem run big cities of the country. TAXPAYERS ARE NOT GOING TO CONSENT TO RAISE TAXES ! they are not. So. If disneyland does not open one of two things happen.
1. the extra 600 dollars for unemployment goes away on 7/31. Disney workers were claiming they could not pay expenses while working 40 hrs a week (hard to believe if you have several roomates like most people I know did before we moved in with a romantic partner). If the pres sends more free money it's a huge mistake. A. people did not appreciate it the first time. and B. It was a major contributor enabling all the free time that encouraged young people to loot, riot and even kill police officers and store employees. (approx 100 such deaths since 5/30 and C. a not insignificant number of employers have reported difficultly getting their workers to return because unemployment is providing so much money to people right now. Most important to younger people D. ITS THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ULTIMATELY PAY FOR THE SOCIALIST FREE LUNCH STATE. with the rallies/protest super spreader events for 20-30 days depending on the city all around the country, taxes will in the more distant future (like 10-15 yrs from now) be raised (by a lot) to pay for all of this spending this is simply being put on a credit card account that all us citizens are ultimately liable for.

June 24, 2020 at 9:43 PM

@davedisney: You...DO get that the issue is not money, it's you know, the health and safety of guests and workers?

June 25, 2020 at 12:14 AM

MikeW--you were from Chicago right? told from a resident (respectfully) of a city that is pretty close to bankruptcy with the highest violent crime rate in the whole USA. Illinois is not too far from bankruptcy either.

When you run out of $$$ PEOPLE DIE! Poverty is the greatest killer. What is the current life expectancy in vanezula, or the old soviet union or cuba? One can hide over the killing effects of hardcore socialism for a while by putting $$ on a govt's credit card. but. eventually people die as a result of all the borrowing. Even a soft socialist country like Italy. One region of the country is much better off economically. that's the side of the country that have a much lower covid death rate per capita. that is how it works in the real world.

Even the very very left gov of new york Mr. cuomo knows you have to let commerce happen or it will be disaster. the under 30 yr old blind socialists Blm people yelling and screaming in the streets don't seem to care at all about their or their parents health. According to your logic.

Either it is safe to have to have gatherings or not. if people can play socialist theater in the streets of all the dem cities, we can damn well go to theme parks!

June 25, 2020 at 12:59 AM

Dave, please go to a theme park. Go every day next week. Don't wear your mask, you don't need one. Smell the churros, Dave, smell em deep.

June 25, 2020 at 1:06 AM

@davedisney: Actually, Chicago ranks 64th on the list of most crime-ridden cities.

June 25, 2020 at 2:36 AM

Mike I would be interested in that link. It that is true it is super mystifying that CNN/MSNBC or even the city of chicago yells and screams that. are the other 62 or 63 really small cities and it's per capita. small cities where 1 person killing 2 people screw the stats wildly? the one I always hear specifically is killings. last fathers day was even higher than usual. I've seen some of the mayor of chicago's pressers. have not seen her complaining that the mainstream media so misleads people about chicago's murder stats. I'm not talking about the county. I know there is a lot of inequality (as seems typical where liberals run things for long periods) and there are beautiful areas in parts of the county where the activists liberals and people with government jobs live.

June 25, 2020 at 4:33 AM

"When you run out of $$$ PEOPLE DIE! Poverty is the greatest killer." So true DaveDisney, so true. Even without covid 19 this is a huge problem. For every billionaire there are many tenths of thousands who live in poverty, 1 in 7 children have food insecurity due to all that richness of a few people. I mean that money earned goes somewhere, right. To change that it would be the death of capitalism but better for everyone (I'm sure the billionaire will survive with a tenth of their income.
If you insist on keeping capitalism nothing will change and people with very low income are forced to get to work risking dying in favor of the all mighty 1%. Is that human? Is that how a first world country should work?

June 25, 2020 at 4:03 PM

nothing would change you say. other than you would no have a smartphone. or disney theme parks. virtually, every new invention comes from capitalism. hard socialists/communists like blm uses the inventions they could never ever create in their system

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