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Disneyland and Disney World resorts could stay closed until 2021, says expert

24 April 2020, 07:53 | Updated: 17 March 2021, 16:37

Disneyland and Disney World parks may not fully open until next year. Picture: Getty

By Alice Dear

Disney's theme parks across the world closed their doors earlier this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, but when will they reopen?

Thousands of Disney fans across the world were left heartbroken when their trips to Disneyland or Disney World were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of these people, including thousands of families, will be looking forward to the day they can make the trip, but that might not be for a while yet, according to experts.

UBS analyst John Hodulik has revealed that there is a chance the parks may not be able to start functioning as normal until a vaccine is available to the public.

Experts consider that Disney parks may not fully open until there is a vaccine for the virus. Picture: Getty

He explain in his report The Eye of the Storm that the economic recession, as well as the need for social distancing and new health precautions – alongside other factors – are likely to "make this business less profitable until there is a widely available vaccine".

John Hodulik added that the park may be able to return to their "recent operating cadence in 18 months, coinciding with the earliest expectations for a widely available vaccine for COVID-19".

Disney parks first closed back in March following the coronavirus outbreak across the world. Picture: Getty

Bookings for Disney World are available from June 1 2020, although it's hard to foresee where the world will be at that point with the fight against coronavirus.

Disney boss Bob Iger said in an interview to Barrons: "In order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe.

"Some of that could come in the form, ultimately, of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny, more restrictions."

Disney parks could bring in temperature checks at the gates when they reopen. Picture: Getty

He added that temperature taking at the entrance of the parks could be something they will use when they reopen.

He explained: "Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures, as a for-instance."