Shanghai Disneyland shuts down after single COVID-19 case, thousands tested before leaving the park premises
A single COVID-19 case prompted the lockdown of Shanghai Disneyland on Halloween night, with nearly 34,000 guests getting tested before leaving the park.
Amid the backdrop of a fireworks display and lights and sounds show that lit up the Fairytale Castle, thousands of park guests waited for their COVID-19 test results on Oct. 31 before they could leave the park premises.
Reports say that a woman from the nearby city of Hangzou visited the park on Halloween and tested positive after returning home.
Upon learning about the situation, Shanghai Disneyland reportedly announced at 5 p.m. of Oct. 31 that it would no longer accept visitors for the remainder of the day and all 33,863 guests inside the park would be subject to rapid testing.
The park was then locked down as healthcare workers in hazmat suits and police trickle in the park to conduct a mass testing of the nearly 34,000 visitors and employees.
#Shanghai Disney Resort has suspended entry into the park due to #COVID19 investigation. Some attractions inside the park will also temporarily stop operating, it said. All guests will be required to undergo nucleic acid testing at the exit when leaving the resort. pic.twitter.com/78HOnACl2k
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) October 31, 2021
A park visitor named Chen told the Associated Press after the park’s announcement that everyone must get tested before leaving the premises, “No one complained, and everyone behaved really well.”
Testing reportedly ended close to midnight and visitors were transported home via 220 special buses.
According to city officials, everyone in the park tested negative but they were required to home quarantine for two days and get tested again for COVID-19 after two weeks.
Shanghai government also issued an emergency notice on Oct. 31 that urges all those who had been to the park from Oct. 30 to 31 should immediately conduct nucleic acid tests at the nearest medical facilities, according to Shanghai Daily news outfit.
Disneyland said it would remain shut down at least up to Nov. 2, Tuesday, “to follow the requirements of pandemic prevention and control.” Its reopening date is yet to be confirmed.
Shanghai Disneyland’s closure underscores the zero-infection strategy of Chinese authorities before the Beijing Winter Olympics, which is set on Feb. 4, 2022.
