Disney and Universal are closing down their hotels and the popular hubs of Disney Springs and University CityWalk, bringing the tourism giants to a complete halt by Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Disney announced the new company plan early Monday morning, hours after the CDC released new guidelines that recommended events with 50 or more people should be postponed or canceled for the next eight weeks.
But by the time the CDC had announced the new guidelines, wall-to-wall crowds gathered at the Magic Kingdom Sunday for a final send-off.
People lined up to see the fireworks show and then packed in front of the train station on Main Street USA an hour later, as Disney characters and Walt Disney World President Josh D’Amaro waved goodbye as the masses filed out. D’Amaro took pictures with employees who were leaving, including some from the Disney College Program that’s been suspended.
“See you real soon!” some people shouted back.
The scene drew criticism on social media as people are being encouraged to avoid public spaces and practice social distancing.
“This is so irresponsible of Disney,” Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, posted on Twitter in response to images of the crowds circulating on social media.
“This shows our need for education,” said Dr. Ken Alexander, chief of division of infectious diseases at Nemours Children’s Hospital. “As the crowds head home, we need to get down to the challenge of distancing ourselves. Be confident that the better we do distancing ourselves, the sooner the infections will diminish, and the sooner the crowds will come back.”
“This also shows the tragedy of COVID-19. Ours is a tourist economy specializing in bringing joy to people from around the world. Many of our friends and colleagues will suffer over the weeks to come; some medically, many economically.”
Early Monday, D’Amaro sent out a letter that did not address the criticism directly but acknowledged the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic and that the company is “actively” managing the crisis.
“It’s not like anything our community has faced before and our focus has been on the safety and well-being of our guests, cast members and their families as well as our neighbors,” he wrote in the message. “These are unique times, and we’re all working through this together.”
While the resorts and hotels are empty, Disney pledges to donate unused food, such as salad and hot items, to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, he said.
D’Amaro ended his message: “‘May Walt Disney World bring joy and inspiration and new knowledge to all who come to this happy place …’ That was our wish when we first opened in 1971, and that will be our wish when we open our parks again.”
In a normal world, Universal would be celebrating Tuesday’s scheduled grand opening of the next hotel phase at Endless Summer Resort. But instead amid the pandemic, Universal is telling tourists to go home.
Universal announced that all hotels will be shut down as of 5 p.m. Friday. It will close the popular Universal CityWalk effective at midnight Monday.
“As we continue to make the health and safety of our guests and team members our top priority and be responsive to current conditions, we have additional operational changes to announce at Universal Orlando Resort,” Universal spokeswoman Alyson Lundell said in a statement.
Disney will also close the hotels it owns and operates at Walt Disney World and Disney’s Vero Beach resort at 5 p.m. Friday, giving guests time to make other housing or travel arrangements.
Disney also plans to shut down World of Disney, NBA Experience and the other Disney-owned locations on Tuesday. Other stores that aren’t run by Disney can decide whether to follow suit.
“Individual tenants will make decisions on whether to continue or adjust operations,” Disney wrote in a social media post.
Disney’s announcement early Monday also goes deeper beyond Orlando. The company is closing every Disney Store in North America starting Tuesday, although the website will still be operating.
Orlando’s major theme parks will all be closed for business Monday until the rest of March. Disney has not indicated whether the CDC updates mean the parks will be closed longer.
Staff writer Naseem Miller contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com.
grusson@orlandosentinel.com