California is set to welcome back visitors to its theme parks and stadiums starting April 1, as announced by Mark Ghaly, the secretary of the state’s Health and Human Services Agency. Disneyland Resort will open its gates again, albeit with limited capacity, while other attractions like Magic Mountain and Universal Studios also prepare to resume operations.
“We believe it’s the right time to cautiously reintroduce these activities,” Ghaly expressed. With a significant drop in case rates and hospitalizations, alongside the rollout of three effective vaccines, California is poised to gradually and safely restore outdoor activities where mask-wearing is feasible.
The California Department of Public Health’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy outlines the reopening strategy. In areas classified under the most stringent Purple Tier, outdoor sports and concerts will be restricted to 100 attendees, and all must be California residents. Reservations will be essential, and concessions will remain closed. In the Red Tier, attendance is limited to 20 percent, while the Orange Tier allows for 33 percent capacity, again only for in-state visitors.
For any amusement park to reopen, COVID-19 transmission rates must decrease sufficiently for the county to transition from Purple to Red, a change expected in the upcoming weeks. Unlike California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida reopened last July with capacity limits and mask mandates. Florida’s Blizzard Beach water park is also set for a March 7 reopening.
As other states begin to ease restrictions—such as Texas and Mississippi, which have lifted mask mandates—health experts express concern. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the CDC, highlighted the risks in Texas, where vaccination rates remain low. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky noted recent case declines have stalled at concerning levels, urging caution as several states roll back public health measures.
Currently, about 87 percent of Californians fall within the Purple Tier. Disney has indicated it will require at least four weeks to rehire and train staff on new COVID-19 safety protocols before reopening.
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