Today, the state of California announced its guidelines for theme park reopenings, stating that large theme parks like Disneyland cannot reopen until their county (in Disneyland’s case, Orange County) are in the state’s yellow tier.
Also known as a minimal tier, this level means that there is less than 1 daily new case of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in the county and less than 2% positivity rate for tests.
Currently, Orange County is in the Red, or Substantial tier.
So, when could Disneyland’s county reach the yellow tier? According to Dr. Clayton Chau, Director, Orange County Health Care Agency, it could be a while. “Personally, I think that we can look forward to a yellow tier by next summer, hopefully. Hopefully,” he said in a statement.
Why could it take so long? Three factors: outsiders entering the county, the availability of a vaccine, and the willingness of people to take said vaccine. “I think for a large county like us, especially a county with institution of higher education where folks [are] coming in from outside the county and outside the state, I think it’s going to be very hard to achieve the yellow tier,” Dr. Chau said. “It depends on when the vaccine will come as well as how many doses [are] available for our populations as well as how many of our residents will readily accept the vaccine – those are the three factors that will determine how soon we can get to the yellow tier.”
Dr. Chau’s comments come after much backlash to California’s reopening guidelines. So far, Disneyland President Ken Potrock, Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu, the California Attractions and Parks Association, and more have come out against the guidelines, saying they will keep theme parks in the Golden State shut down “indefinitely.”
This is a developing story, and there’s a LOT to unpack with these guidelines and what they mean for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and beyond. Continue to keep an eye on DFB to keep up with updates and as more parties respond.
Here’s a list of Cast Member businesses to support during this time.
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
TRENDING NOW

We're here with the TOP restaurants from Disney Springs! Find out where you'll find the...

The way you book Disney World hotels in advance has officially changed.

EVERYONE makes mistakes in Disney World (including us)! Today we're breaking down the 10 WORST...

Can't decide where to eat in Magic Kingdom? We can help! Here are the BEST...

We're taking a look at the CHEAPEST days to visit Disney World in 2023! Check...

EPCOT is one of the best Disney World parks to grab a bite to eat....

We've dined at every Disney World character meal and now we've ranked them all for...

We're in Disney World every single day, and we've eaten at EVERY restaurant. That means...

The US Department of Transportation released information about consumer complaints for each US airline. Find...

From new restaurant hot spots to tried-and-true classics that only get better with age, consider...

If you're looking for an easier way to carry around your park essentials, look no...

We're ranking ALL of the Disney World hotels!

Sex, drugs, and...Disney? These words may not seem to fit together, but you'd be surprised...

There are so many great options for restaurants in Disney World, so how do you...

We're taking you through ALL the food in Disney's Hollywood Studios!

We're taking a look at the Disney World park hours listed through March 2023!

Welcome to Florida! Here are the laws you NEED to know before visiting.

We ranked every EPCOT table service so you don't have to! Find out where your...

NEW Happy Meal toys are coming to McDonald's!
Orange county is in the RED tier, severe, not orange
Barb, thanks for pointing that out. I’ll have the team revisit.
This is so sad. I basically grew up at Disneyland and while WDW is great, it will not replace DLR for me. 😩
Sounds like they don’t care about their unemployed and they expect the rest of the nation to bail them out. Worldwide disney properties seem to be doing well, the tiers seem unreasonable