Disneyland Shanghai shut its doors late in the morning of Hallowe’en (October 31), with visitors stuck inside and not permitted to leave. This was after a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases.
Even though the “happiest place on earth” kept its rides going during this time, it was nearly 10 hours until guests received an update.
At the time of this article going to press, 17h00 on Tuesday, November 1, anyone who tested negative for the virus could leave, but it remains unknown what the next move would be for the Magic Kingdom’s guests who tested positive for the virus.
According to the Daily Mail, videos and photos of people rushing to the entrance of the 388-hectare theme park, which were locked, quickly spread on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
A Disneyland spokesperson said in locking it down, the park was following guidelines directly from Chinese health authorities.
In November 2021, the same venue was suddenly shut for two days, leaving more than 30 000 guests stuck inside while they awaited testing from authorities.
The Chinese Government now advises anyone who has visited Disneyland since Thursday (October 27) to test for COVID every day until they receive three negative test results in a row, and to avoid crowds and groups of people until then.
Zero-tolerance for virus
COVID cases recorded on Monday (October 31) throughout China rose to 2 699 confirmed infections – exceeding 2 000 for the third day in a row, although this was 199 fewer than the day before. Guangzhou Province and especially its capital, Haizhu District, have been particularly badly affected by the outbreak and have suspended the operation of schools and restaurants.
In line with its reputation for having the harshest reactions to COVID in the world, the Chinese Government has responded by locking down neighbourhoods in Wuhan, Datong, Xining, Nanjing, Xian, and Zhengzhou.
The city of Datong has clamped down on anyone who has not been properly enforcing precautions against the disease, punishing hotels and other businesses. Mudanjiang, a city in Heilongjiang Province, has responded by extending pre-existing lockdowns in some districts, Reuters reports.
On Sunday (October 30), luxury MGM Cotai hotel in Macau, which is known as the ‘Las Vegas of Asia' – was also locked down entirely. The attraction’s restaurants, spa, gym, swimming pool and retail shops remain closed and the shuttle bus service suspended until further notice.
