And so it begins anew...

In accordance with the government's wishes over the coronavirus, Disney has pretty much shut down all of the Disney parks, including the Disneyland Resort, until at least the end of this month. Here is the official statement on the matter:

After Disneyland's closure, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort Paris and the Disney Cruise Line all followed suit.

However, if the Tokyo resort's extended closure (it was supposed to reopen on March 15 or so, but now it's been extended to some time in April), I am doubtful of the parks' alleged reopening at the end of the month, just as I am skeptical of all other places of large gatherings (schools included) reopening in about a month or so. Some have speculated that the parks could reopen in time for summer, but I have a feeling that their closures will last for as long as the coronavirus itself lasts. They are currently trying to create a vaccine, but that could take over a year or more from now. I have a feeling that things will only return to normal, more or less, when the vaccine becomes available, however long that takes. Avengers Campus for one is supposed to open on July 18, but I feeling that the closures could extend beyond even that date.

On top of that, it is only now that China, where the virus originated, seems to be getting a handle on the problem, but it will still be a long time (say, June or so) before they can push the number of virus cases down. Meanwhile, the rest of the world's numbers are rising. Since it will have been about six or seven months since the virus started (December 2019), if we take China's timeframe into account, it could very well last into October for the rest of us before we can get the numbers down as well. Hence, my concern for the long closures of the parks.

In any case, even if the parks do reopen at the end of the month, this is unprecedented. Disneyland has never been closed this long before. In the past, there have been closures before, such as for the assassination of President Kennedy (in 1963), the invasion of a group of Vietnam War protesters who threatened to incite a riot at the park (in 1970), and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but the park has always reopened the next day. In the past, too, the park used to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, until about the 1980s or so.

If there is anything good to say about this situation, it's that the Cast Members will still be paid during this closure. I just hope that they keep doing maintenance on the parks for the duration as well. In addition, the College Program has also been suspended for the duration. I hope everyone remains safe.