Coronavirus in China forces Disney to shut down Shanghai Disneyland

There are a lot of sad faces at the happiest place in China as Disney has shut down its Shanghai Disneyland amid a growing outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

The company, on the park’s Website, announced the closing, saying it was taking the action as a safety precaution and was working with government officials to determine when the park would reopen. As of Friday morning, there was no timeline for that to occur.

“In response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests and Cast, Shanghai Disney Resort is temporarily closing Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown including Walt Disney Grand Theatre and Wishing Star Park, starting January 25, 2020” the company said. “We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and be in close contact with the local government, and we will announce the reopening date upon confirmation.”

Guests will receive refunds for tickets and resort hotels.

Disney is joining many other public facilities nationwide in closing its doors. China’s National Health Commission has confirmed 875 cases of coronavirus infection throughout the country, with 26 deaths. A second case of the disease was confirmed in the U. S. Friday morning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The park closure comes at what would have been a peak time for visitors, amid the Chinese New Year (also called the Spring Festival), the busiest travel time of the year in the country. This is also the year of the rat (mouse), which the park has been planning to celebrate lavishly.