Walt Disney World Closed Until at Least April 9

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 24, 2020

Due to an executive order ordering all non-essential businesses to close in Orange County, Florida, it’s clear that Walt Disney World will remain closed until at least April 9.

Today, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings not only ordered that all non-essential retail and commercial businesses close from 11:00 PM on Thursday, March 26, to 11:00 PM, April 9, but also ordered residents to limit travel to essential trips and to stay at home otherwise. This is all being done, of course, to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Most of Walt Disney World is located within Orange County.

The order could be extended if deemed necessary.

The executive order defines non-essential businesses as follows: “All non-essential retail and commercial businesses are hereby ordered temporarily closed, including but not limited to, whether indoors or outdoors, locations with amusement rides, carnivals, water parks, pools, zoos, museums, arcades, fairs, children's play centers, playgrounds, theme parks, bowling alleys, pool halls, movie and other theaters, concert and music halls, country clubs, social clubs and fraternal organizations.”

In addition, Universal announced that it would be extending the closure of both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood from the end of this month, as first announced, to April 19. It’s reasonable to expect that Disney would follow suit, although the Walt Disney Company has made no announcement updating its original statement that its U.S. parks would be closed until April 1.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.