Disney World will reopen its gates, ending a long closure of the park that left the Walt Disney Company reeling. The Disney theme park, which employs around 70,000 people, plans to begin a phased reopening on 11 July for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks.

Disney is implementing several measures to reopen safely and prevent the spread of the coronavirus at its parks:

l Employees and guests will be required to wear face coverings and undergo temperature screenings before entering the parks.

l Disney will reduce capacity at the parks and the resort will temporarily suspend parades, fireworks and other events that create crowds.

l The resort will also enable cashless transactions by expanding contactless payments.

l Disney will also increase the number of available hand-sanitizing stations.

Existing ticket holders, annual pass holders and those with Disney Resort hotel reservations will be able to make reservation requests before new tickets are sold. Disney generated more than $26 billion in sales at its Parks, Experiences and Products unit in fiscal 2019, representing 37 per cent of the company’s overall revenue.

According to a report, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, which houses trademark attractions like Cinderella’s Castle and Space Mountain, is the world’s most-visited theme park, accounting for more than 20 million visitors in 2018.