Disney World is partially reopening next week

15 May 2020, 11:26

The official trailer for Walt Disney World Resort

Sam  Prance

By Sam Prance

Disney Springs in Florida is set to reopen this month while the rest of the park remains closed until further notice.

Walt Disney World have revealed that they are reopening Disney Springs on May 20th with new social distancing measures.

Ever since coronavirus became a global pandemic and countries started enforcing strict lockdown rules, many theme parks, performance venues and shops have temporarily closed for the safety of staff, customers and the general public at large. In the past few weeks though, certain outlets and businesses have opened their doors again with new lockdown regulations.

READ MORE: Concerts will ban standing at the front, moshpits and crowd-surfing after lockdown

Now, Walt Disney World have announced that they are partially reopening their Florida resort for visitors from next week.

When will Disney World open again?

Walt Disney World is partially reopening on May 20
Walt Disney World is partially reopening on May 20. Picture: Jacqueline Nell/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images, Mark Ashman/Disney via Getty Images

The Hollywood Reporter reports that "The first wave of Walt Disney World employees will be back at the park on Saturday to get a portion of the Florida resort ready for its partial reopening on May 20. 117 custodians will return to work." This will be the first time that the park opens their doors since mid-March when the company furloughed over 100,000 employees.

The park is set to reopen in stages. On May 20th, sub-contracted shops will open again in the Disney Springs shopping and dining complex. The next week, restaurants and retail outlets will reopen including the World of Disney Store. Eric Clinton, president of UNITE HERE, has told The Hollywood Reporter that the safety of staff will be of the utmost priority.

Employees and guests will all be required to wear masks provided by the resort. Guests will also all have their temperatures checked before entering the park and plexiglass dividers will be installed around Disney Springs to help enforce social distancing measures. Any employee who contracts the virus will also be paid up to two weeks in quarantine.

It's currently unclear when the rest of the park will reopen. We shall update you as soon as there is more information.