NEWS! California Will Release Theme Park Guidelines “When We’re Ready”

Another video news conference took place today, which was hosted by California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.

Disney California Adventure Health and Safety Signs

During his weekly updates, Dr. Ghaly typically announces the current tier statuses for counties across the state, which is a big part of California’s reopening blueprint.

It was revealed that out of the several counties that saw movement into new tiers, Orange County was not one of them. For at least one more week, Orange County will remain in the red “Substantial” tier. As of this writing, there is no word on which tier a county will need to be in for their theme parks to reopen.

County tier movement on October 13th. Source: State of California

When it comes to theme parks reopening, Dr. Ghaly received a couple of questions from reporters asking for updates and additional information on the site visits to theme parks in California and other states. It was revealed yesterday by California Governor Gavin Newsom that teams were being sent to visit not only larger theme parks in California, but other parks across the nation.

Disneyland

Dr. Ghaly noted that when it comes to the release of theme park guidelines, “it will come out when we’re ready.” This sentiment falls in step with Governor Newsom’s recent remarks about how there is no “hurry” to release theme park guidelines and that the state would be “stubborn” in its approach to reopening the parks.

Gavin Newsom ©(Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

Dr. Ghaly also noted that “not all of these visits are done,” and that once all of the site visits are complete, the team would be “compiling the information from those visits, having ongoing dialogue so we land with the guidance that really does make sense.”

Health and Safety Sign at California Adventure

Dr. Ghaly also provided more insight on the purpose of these site visits. He noted that “the reason why we sent people is to really understand in action how a park operates, how the community around it functions with the park open in a time where we’re facing COVID transmission and really how it plays out, not just within the park but beyond.”