by Ray Keating
Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
July 14, 2020
The news hit on Monday that Hong Kong Disneyland, which re-opened on June 18, would be closing once again on July 15. A surge in new coronavirus cases in Hong Kong led to government officials’ re-imposing measures to contain the disease.
According to a statement released by Disney, “As required by the government and health authorities in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland Park will temporarily close from July 15, 2020. The resort hotels will remain open with adjusted level of services. Enhanced health and safety measures that reflect the guidance of health and government authorities have been put in place, such as social distancing measures and increased cleaning and sanitization.”
Of course, this news came amidst the reopening at Disney World, with the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom welcoming guests on July 11, and Epcot and Hollywood Studios set to reopen on July 15. At the same time, Florida currently is in the midst of the largest coronavirus outbreak among the states. As noted by the Orlando Sentinel on July 13:
Florida health officials reported 12,624 new coronavirus cases Monday — the second-highest increase after Sunday’s U.S. record of 15,300. That brings the total to 282,435, and the 35 new fatalities increased the death toll to 4,277. The latest positivity rate was 11.5%, a drop from the nearly 20% last week. In Miami-Dade, though, the positivity rate was 25%.
The New York Times also reported:
Florida has recorded more than 269,800 cases, with more than 4,200 total deaths, according to a New York Times database. There were also single-day records on Sunday in the counties that include Florida’s largest cities, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, Pensacola and Sarasota.
The latest data shows the increasing strains that Florida hospitals are under. Some 43 intensive care units in 21 Florida counties have hit capacity and have no beds available. Doctors are working longer hours and, faced with shortages of the key drug remdesivir, doctors and nurses are having to choose between patients and even to change the remdesivir criteria to use it later in the disease.
Lilian Abbo, an infectious-disease specialist from the University of Miami Health System, has been widely quoted as declaring that Miami “is now the epicenter of the pandemic.”
At the same time, however, at least Florida seems better positioned to handle the outbreak than New York was at the peak in that state. Again, according to the Times:
In some ways, the situation in Florida differs from the worst days of the pandemic in New York.
Some of the increase in cases reflects the dramatic increase in testing; Florida is testing several times the number of people that New York was at the height of its crisis. The spread of the disease amid the Florida sun does not play out with the same dread as it did in crowded city streets in New York. Hospitals are better supplied and somewhat more prepared to treat patients than they were in March and April. And while the daily death toll in Florida climbed to a high last week, it remains far below the levels that New York suffered, at least for now.
Currently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is coming under heavy criticism for failing to put statewide restrictions in place, as well as for his decision to order 5-day fulltime reopening of schools next month. DeSantis declared, “If you can do Home Depot, if you can do Walmart, if you can do these things, we absolutely can do the schools.” Interestingly, the Florida governor doesn’t have the power to force schools to reopen. That is a matter for local school boards throughout the state – which raises the unfortunate question of how much politics is playing into various announcements and statements, especially in Florida given that last month President Trump shifted the August Republican convention from Charlottesville, N.C., to Jacksonville, Florida.
As for the Walt Disney Company, it has employees and customers to be concerned about, not to mention its brand. In fact, the company has not been immune to criticism across social media for re-opening amidst rising coronavirus cases in Florida. If coronavirus cases and deaths continue to surge in Florida, one has to wonder how long Disney can hold off on closing its Florida parks once again. Indeed, the company might not have a choice, if politicians, including Governor DeSantis, start to see a shift in the politics of the situation, and react accordingly by placing tighter restrictions on businesses.
That process, arguably, has started. It’s certainly the case in California, where reopening has been halted and in various ways reversed, and to some extent in Texas. One can see a change in attitude and action by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in Texas as the coronavirus surges in his state. Like DeSantis, Abbott is a Republican. No one should be surprised to see DeSantis eventually following Abbott’s lead.
Predicting anything in these times ranks as a foolish undertaking. And if any company knows how to treat its guests well, it would be Disney. However, if these grim coronavirus trends continue in Florida, no one should be surprised to see Disney World close up shop for a period of time once more – whether it be a decision made by the company or by government officials in Florida.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.
