FernandoAH/iStock(NEW YORK) — In the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak, highly trafficked spaces like theme parks and tourist destinations are taking extra precautions and even closing their doors.
The novel coronavirus has now infected more than 128,000 people worldwide, mostly in China.
COVID-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has since spread to every continent except Antarctica.
There have been at least 4,720 global deaths, 40 of which occurred in the United States.
Here’s how some museums, attractions and amusement parks are preparing for the potential outbreak:
Amusement Parks
Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris
Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Paris will close until the end of the month beginning on March 15.
“In an abundance of caution and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of our theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort, beginning at the close of business on Sunday, March 15, through the end of the month,” The Walt Disney Company said in a statement.
Along with this, Disney Cruise Line is suspending all departures starting on March 14.
Disneyland
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have announced a closure starting March 14 and lasting until the end of the month.
While they cite no reported cases of COVID-19, they are closing after reviewing the governor of California’s executive order.
SeaWorld Parks & Resorts Orlando
SeaWorld in Orlando issued a statement to ABC News’ Good Morning America as they are open for business but monitoring the situation:
“SeaWorld employs an experienced health and safety team and has protocols in place. We enforce appropriate sanitation standards across our parks. We will continue to monitor the situation for changes, collaborate with health officials and take recommended steps to ensure the health and safety needs of guests, ambassadors and animals are met.”
Six Flags
Six Flags theme park is operating on its regular schedule and following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We have significantly enhanced our sanitation efforts with the primary focus on public areas. We have added more anti-bacterial soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizers. We are ensuring guest and employee access to these preventive enhancements throughout all areas of the park, especially in restrooms, food locations, and employee break areas,” the company wrote in a statement to Good Morning America.
Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando is operating on its regular schedule and said it is reinforcing health and hygiene procedures.
“We are reviewing and enhancing our already aggressive cleaning protocols. And, for the comfort and convenience of our guests, we are increasing the number of hand sanitizer units in our parks. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and be ready to act as needed,” the park wrote in a statement to GMA via Twitter.
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea closed on Feb. 29 as a “precautionary measure,” according to the park, and are set to reopen on March 16.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland closed on Jan. 26 and has yet to set a date to reopen.
According to its website, the parks “are in close contact with health authorities and the government about the situation.”
Shanghai Disneyland
Meanwhile, Shanghai Disneyland will partially resume operations on March 9, according to an update on its website, after being closed since late January.
Museums
Smithsonian Museums and National Zoo
The Smithsonian has announced all Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo will temporarily close March 14.
They have not announced a reopening date “due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation,” according to a post on their website.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City announced Thursday it will be temporarily closing all three of its locations starting March 13.
“While we don’t have any confirmed cases connected to the museum, we believe that we must do all that we can to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community, which at this time calls for us to minimize gatherings while maintaining the cleanest environment possible. We look forward to soon announcing when we’ll be able to welcome our staff and visitors back to the museum,” according to an update on the museum’s website.
The Louvre
The Louvre in Paris is one of the popular tourist hubs that is limiting the number of people in the museum. They are only allowing certain groups, including pre-booked e-tickets and those with free admission, into the attraction.
According to its website these measures have been taken to “help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago said it is remaining open, but monitoring the situation and increasing cleaning practices, according to a statement issued to Good Morning America.
“We are monitoring the situation closely. The safety of our visitors and staff is our first priority and we will continue to update our community as needed,” the museum said. “No loans or performances have been affected at this point. The museum has suspended travel to medium and high risk locations (as defined by CDC), and we are encouraging staff to reschedule non-essential international travel.”
Attractions
Broadway
Effective March 12 as of 5 p.m., Broadway will temporarily close its doors for the first time since 2007.
“Under the direction of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Broadway shows in New York City will suspend all performances immediately in support of the health and well-being of the theatergoing public, as well as those who work in the theatre industry. Performances will commence the week of April 13, 2020,” the Broadway League wrote on its website.
What you should know
Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick.
People with underlying chronic diseases or who are immunosuppressed are at risk of having a more severe reaction/worse symptoms to the novel coronavirus.
ABC News’ chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said, “In general, open air space activities would be theoretically preferable to activities with less ventilation, however, with any high-density activity, hand hygiene and prolonged close contact will always be factors.”
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