SACRAMENTO, CA (CelebrityAccess) — State officials in California announced that the state’s theme parks and stadiums will be allowed to open with capacity limits as soon as April 1st.
The announcement includes all of California’s amusement parks, including Disney’s Magic Mountain and Universal Studios, along with major sports and entertainment venues around the state.
“California feels well equipped to take these small but meaningful steps. We will, as I said yesterday, keep our foot on the brakes and not on the gas,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency said on a conference call on Friday.
“We feel like now is the appropriate time to begin to reintroduce these activities in some fashion, and in a guarded way, in a slow and steady way,” he added.
The decision is likely welcome news for major theme park operators such as Disney, whose parks have been effectively shuttered since last March when the full extent of the pandemic in North America became evident.
Disney parks in other states, including Florida, have been allowed to open with limited capacity and mask requirements. After April 1st, theme parks will still face capacity restrictions and guests will need to make reservations to attend. As well, indoor rides will be capacity limited and indoor dining will not be available. As conditions improve, capacity restrictions will be expanded.
California’s sports stadiums will also be able to begin welcoming fans back in time for the start of the Major League Baseball season on April 1st. The Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels all have home games on that date with the reigning 2020 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers headed to Colorado for their season opener, while the San Franciso Giants are scheduled to be on the road in Seattle for their season debut.
