COVID-19: Hong Kong Disneyland reopens to masked guests

Visitors queued up in blazing summer heat for the park's reopening

Last updated: June 18, 2020 | 15:16

AFP and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Editor

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Hong Kong: Hong Kongers wearing Mickey Mouse ears and facemasks flocked back to Disneyland on Thursday as the city's park reopened after nearly five months of closure during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Visitors queued up in blazing summer heat for the park's reopening, submitting to temperature checks at the entrance.

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Signs plastered across the park and large stickers on the ground reminded visitors to maintain social distancing as they queued for rides.

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Disney's parks across the globe have been hammered by the coronavirus and Hong Kong's is only the second to re-open after Shanghai.

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Tourism operators are desperate to restart business, trialling different forms of social distancing as lockdowns ease.

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On Thursday, hand-sanitising stations had been put up at regular intervals throughout the park and all guests were required to wear facemasks throughout their visit unless eating.

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Hong Kong was one of the first places to record coronavirus infections after the disease first emerged in central China, morphing into a global pandemic and enveloping much of the world in a recession.

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But the finance hub has since managed to largely halt local transmission with just over 1,100 infections and four deaths.

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All overseas passengers are screened at the airport and quarantined by authorities if found to be infected - on top of a mandatory 14-day home quarantine for arrivals.

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Health authorities this week increased the number of people allowed to gather from eight to groups of 50 starting Friday.

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Stephanie Young, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, speaks on stage with actors dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

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