As of March 5th, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom of California has officially announced that Disneyland and other California theme parks (such as Unviersal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld San Diego, and Legoland California) can reopen on April 1st, following a year long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Due to COVID-19 health and safety restrictions, California theme parks have been forced to remain closed, despite other Disney parks around the globe opening with enhanced safety measures.

The new guidelines and opening date are part of a “refresh” of Newsom’s four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy. In order to open on April 1st, the theme park must be located in a county that has reached the red/substantial tier 2 risk status. Depending on the county that they’re in, the parks can reopen at 15% capacity in the red/substantial tier 2, 25% capacity in the orange/moderate tier 3 and 35% capacity in the least-restrictive yellow/minimal tier 4.

Theme park attendance will be limited to California residents.

Indoor rides and attractions must remain at a 15% capacity (red tier) or a 25% capacity (orange/yellow tiers). Outdoor rides and attractions can accommodate additional guests, given that social distancing is maintained.

As of now, most major California theme parks are still in purple/widespread tier 1 counties. However, Orange County (Disneyland) and Los Angeles County (Universal Studios Hollywood) are both expected to move into the red/substantial tier 2 next week.