Disney Park Revives COVID Restrictions Again, Bans Foreign Tourists

Latest Update: Disney Resort Closes Indefinitely Due to COVID Again

Published: 10/30/22 9:26 am EDT

Once again, a Disney Theme Park Resort is reinstituting restrictive measures to its Guest experiences in the name of stopping the spread of COVID-19 that essentially ban all foreigners from visiting the Park.

On Sunday, October 30, Shanghai Disney Resort announced that it would reduce operations in compliance with China’s pandemic control measures.

The Resort posted an announcement to its website which read, in part, as the following:

Shanghai Disneyland will operate with reduced offerings starting October 29, 2022. During this period, select attractions, live entertainment, restaurants and shops will not be available or will operate at reduced capacity. The park will still remain open, and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, Disneytown and Wishing Star Park will continue to operate normally.
We understand these temporary measures may impact some guests’ original visit plans, in which case we will provide refunds or exchanges for guests who wish to reschedule their visit to another date.

Those measures instituted yesterday include controlled capacity, the presentation of a green Shanghai Health QR Code (“Suishenma”), and a negative NAT test taken within 72 hours before a Park visit. Temperature screenings will be conducted at the entrance of Shanghai Disneyland, all Guests will be required to wear face masks in all indoor, and outdoor areas except when dining, and strict social distancing requirements will be enforced.

While it was the first Disney Park to reopen after the global pandemic shutdown, Shanghai Disney Resort has remained closed longer than any other Disney Park, experiencing a multi-month closer earlier this year that did not see a reopening until June 30.

This news comes after Universal’s Beijing Resort announced a complete closure in response to the uptick in Covid cases. All of these measures continue to be in place due to Xi Jinping’s “Covid Zero” campaign to completely eradicate the disease from the country.

Most–if not all– foreigners looking to visit Disney’s Mainland China Resort will most likely be unable to visit. Shanghai Disney Resort’s website states,

According to The Covid-19 Prevention and Control Guidelines for A-level Scenic Spots in Shanghai(Second Edition of 2022), all guests who have a history of overseas travel and residence within 10 days prior to their visits or have a history of travel or residence in the counties (cities, districts or banners) where high and medium-risks areas are located within 7 days prior to their visits may not be allowed to enter Shanghai Disney Resort.

It is unclear when these restrictions will be lifted at the time of this article’s publication.

Shanghai Disney Resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company as a minority shareholder (43%) in partnership with the Government-backed Shanghai Shendi Group (57%).

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to update our readers on Disney Parks news and stories as more developments come to light.