Disneyland delays its reopening date. Here’s the latest on the theme park’s plans

Disneyland will not reopen July 17 as it planned, Disney said Wednesday.

The park does not have a new reopening date, Disneyland said in a statement. California will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until after July 4, Disney said.

“Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials,” Disney said. “Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date.”

The park has been closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Disneyland had previously said it would reopen the theme park with limited capacity and additional safety measures, McClatchy News reported.

Originally, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure park were set to open July 17, followed by Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel on July 23, Disney Parks said.

Now those reopening dates are unclear.

The Downtown Disney District will still reopen July 9, according to Disney.

For the theme parks to reopen, the company will need to negotiate agreements with unions for employees to go back to work, Disneyland said.

Thousands of Disneyland workers signed a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom that asked him to delay Disneyland’s original scheduled reopening for July 15, McClatchy News reported.

The unions wrote in the letter: “... despite intensive talks with the company, we are not yet convinced that it is safe to reopen the parks on Disney’s rapid timetable.”

Disneyland said the signed agreement will detail plans that include “enhanced safety protocols that will allow us to responsibly reopen.”

This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 5:52 PM.