Yesterday, Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California reopened for the first time during this pandemic.
A quick look at the current line outside of the Disneyland Resort 🚶 Downtown Disney opens at 10 am! Are you waiting? #DowntownDisney #DisneylandResort
*Downtown Disney is an outdoor shopping center outside of Disneyland — the actual park is not open.*
According to Disneyland's website, safety precautions are being taken, hours are shortened, and 25 of the 30 shops are open to the public.
So, let's take a look at what Downtown Disney looked like yesterday. Apparently, people were eager to shop! One TikTok user got footage of the line of cars waiting to get in 30 minutes before it opened:
Another user showed how all guests did, in fact, have to get temperature checks and that masks were required:
There were signs around the park stating the rules and safety reminders:
There were some stores — like Marceline's Confectionery — that only allowed a few guests in at a time:
And, although it looked crowded, @disneylandwithdad said there were no lines and people were able to move around freely in the district.
However, despite the health and safety reminders throughout the shopping center, many people chose not to follow them:
Some people seemed to really prioritize Disney merch over staying six feet apart from each other:
Others also took to Twitter to show how guests were not abiding by social distancing measures in the stores at all:
World of Disney is currently a mess. Guests are not following the social distancing measures that were put in place. #DowntownDisney #DisneylandResort
Stephanie Lai, reporter for the LA Times, is there today and shared her thoughts on the experience:
Spending some time reporting from Downtown Disney today. Life has returned to this beloved SoCal hotspot. Safety precautions are in place, but fears of coronavirus? No where to be seen.
So, there you have it. This is what Downtown Disney looks like during a global pandemic.
