The Walt Disney Co.’s flagship Shanghai Disney Resort abruptly closed its doors on Monday in response to China’s strict COVID-19 prevention measures, with all guests at the time of the announcement required to stay inside the park until they could present a negative test result. The decision marks the second time in 12 months that Disney has been forced to suddenly halt operations of the theme park due to China’s draconian pandemic response.
Videos of guests running to the locked gates of the theme park in hopes of escape briefly went viral on Monday before authorities scrubbed them from social media and messaging services. The incident echoed reports from a locked-down Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, Apple’s largest manufacturer o the iPhone, where employees were filmed climbing a fence to escape the strict response to a COVID outbreak.
A notice posted to Shanghai Disney’s official social media accounts Monday said that the sprawling theme park and surrounding facilities would be shut until further notice. Many visitors to Disney on Monday had arrived to participate in Halloween-themed shows and events.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide refunds or exchanges for all guests impacted during this period,” Disney said in a statement. “We will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations.”
The Shanghai government put out its own statement saying that all visitors would be tested and exits only allowed upon the presentation of a clear PCR test.
Disney’s Chinese park was closed for a full three months earlier this year during Shanghai’s lengthy, city-wide COVID lockdown.
Although numbers remain low by global standards, China has seen a spike in reported COVID cases over the past few weeks. Holding fast to its increasingly controversial dynamic COVID policy, the Beijing government has been boosting control measures in provinces across the country in response to the recent spread. Last week, Beijing’s Universal Studios theme park was temporarily shut after a visitor tested positive and the gambling hub of Macao recently locked down a major casino. Major manufacturing centers such as Guangzhou have also been hit by rising case counts and sharply suppressed business activity.
