It's absolutely stunning that so many people have no care for anyone else but just their selfish desires. Living in fear...really? This isn't 9/11, this is a virus that does not discriminate and everyone is fair game for contracting it. What about spreading it to someone else that may not be able to fight it off? It's called doing the right thing.
4
Selfish.
Self-centered.
Disgustingly tone-deaf.
4
Families who can afford a $5000 Disney vacation aren’t worried about bringing the virus back home to share with their less fortunate friends and neighbors who don’t have health insurance and can’t afford to take two weeks off work. We’re about to witness the widespread societal consequences of our “Me First” American attitude.
46
Everyone seems to be thinking only of themselves, like in the headline "If I'm going to get sick and die....."
It's not all about you. You probably won't die. But if you contract the virus and then pass it on to several other people, and they in turn infect dozens of others, the whole thing grows exponentially and suddenly there aren't enough ICU beds, there aren't enough ventilators, there aren't enough RNs who know how to use the vents, and people will die. It won't be you, but it might be your grandmother.
5
We are a nation of selfish people who have no regards for their families or others well being. Not going to Disney doesn't mean you are living your life in fear it means you have the decency to do the right thing for your family and your fellow citizens.
5
It's hard to enough to enforce any kinds of measures, once they are actually put in place, which of course thanks to the government has has happened too late. But then expecting most people to use common sense and intelligence to make smart and informed decisions and be responsible? Good luck.
5
From the article:
“I don’t want to ever think about living my life in fear,” he said. “If you live in absolute fear, you’ll be worried all your life. When it’s your time to die you could be lying in bed, on a plane or in a park, and you’ll go.”
Great logic. So . . . no limiting certain activites during a pandemic, no seatbelts, no checkups, no crosswalks, the list goes on. I'm just glad I don't live next to someone so centered on self as opposed to the good of everyone.
3
This is why governors and public health depts need to have the power to shut places down - people as a group just have no common sense and can't be relied upon to act accordingly.
20
The irresponsible decision to not close the parks sooner lies with the Disney board of directors, but their guiding star is profit income; so that is why we have governments: their guiding star is the safety of their constituents.
5
I read an article from a someone from China who is taking measures against illness not because she is worried about herself, but because she knows if she gets Coronavirus she can infect others who could become gravely ill or die. She described it as her civic duty. I would like to see the idea of civic duty return to this country and doing your civic duty as a true sign of patriotism.
21
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" with it's out-of-control rapidly multiplying virus-like brooms is certainly an iconic metaphor for TheWorld2020 - no reference to "The Apprentice" intended
4
My wife and I are presently in Florida and planned to go to Universal this weekend to see the Harry Potter attractions. We're just over 60 and canceled. It wasn't worth the risk of being in close proximity to so many people, especially as we are in the high-risk age bracket. We may never see Harry Potter but we'll live.
14
I live in Williamsburg, VA, the home of Busch Gardens, Water Country, Great Wolf Lodge, Prime Outlets, Colonial Williamsburg, (and next town over) Historic Jamestown, and Yorktown Battlefield. We also have a top 25 public university. Not to mention a host of hotels, restaurants, and attractions which support the tourist industry.
All of these venues are manned by a veritable army of service workers, most of whom make less than $10/hr. Most of them work 3 jobs in the summer, to save money for the winter, when the tourist industry closes down (some) and we have business travelers, but not much more. Property values are high. There is always a crunch in workforce housing.
It is doubtful that Busch Gardens/WaterCountry will open this year. They are a huge driver of our local economy. So far, Colonial Williamsburg, a charitable foundation, is open, but they have been teetering on insolvency for years due to declining visitors. A long closure could tip this national treasure over the edge.
I would expect that the government might bail out the companies, because they always do, what of the small companies which depend on the tourist trade? What of the service workers? What of the homeowners whose property values will plunge?
This is bigger than Disney. Disney is the tip of the iceberg.
Even if the epidemic never happens, the closures themselves are an economic disaster for cities which rely heavily on tourism.
9
I'm shaking my head at people going to Disney parks because 'kids are safe'. Apparently, they believe that if the odds are in the kids' favour, parents and grandparents are safe too.
How safe will your kids be if YOU end up in an emergency ward, gasping for breath ?
37
Why should the Disney workers have to hug anyone? They should refuse!
5
Stay home. Burning Fossil Fuels for ego travel will make your kiddos futures far worse than missing a trip to DW.
11
This is insane. These parks should be shut down. We already have enough experience with pandemics, to know that this is insane.
27
What do these theme park visitors and members of a religious cult known as Sincheonji Church of Jesus based in South Korea in common? They don't care for the community they belong. They put them and their agenda before anything else and don't compromise. Share on them.
23
We are in Disney World now. We made the decision to go based on an errant assumption that Disney would be pulling out all the stops to assure it’s cast and visitors that they were doing everything possible to keep everything clean and safe. While Disney is still magical - right now it is probably the “germiest place on earth.” I can probably count on one hand the number of hand sanitizer stations I have seen. In Epcot and Animal Kingdom we saw two signs reminding us to wash our hands. I saw one mobile hand washing station, which, incidentally, was out of soap. No extra staff cleaning handles or the like - nothing at all. I am really shocked and disappointed in their lack of attentiveness to anything remotely close to extra precautions in light of the current situation.
12
@Maureen Metzger
Even if there were hand sanitizer everywhere, the fact that you cannot maintain a 6-foot distance between people almost makes it almost a moot point. This is an airborne disease! And the number of contaminated common surfaces in a place like this is so high- one does not sanitize her hands every minute even if the product is readily available.
This is not intended as a snide remark, but I wish you had asked a public health or medical professional whether Disney "pulling out all the stops to keep everything clean and safe" would be enough to justify a visit to the park in these extraordinary times. The answer would have been no.
23
@allison Wouldn't "extra precautions in light of the current situation" mean not going?
10
I wonder if these families have older loved ones at home who they spread a mild or asymptotic infection to and put their lives at risk? The cavalier attitude is exactly what needs to be addressed as a nation. The children may not be at risk or the healthy parents but what about their extended circle of contacts? If large gathering sites shut down for a short period the virus wouldn’t accelerate through the US as it is in Italy. By continuing to ignore Coronavirus, it puts the community at large at risk. It makes me realize the selfish nature of our culture. Very few can stand back and take actions for the greater good if it means some self sacrifice.
42
If it were as simple as getting sick and then dying right on the spot I might *almost* understand sentiments like "If I'm going to get sick and die, I might as well do it at Disney World!", but I cannot get over the shortsighted inability of people making arguments like these to understand that even if you don't care about yourself and your own risks, you should really care about OTHER PEOPLE. You may not know anyone without health insurance, or anyone over 60 or with compromised immunity or anyone at high risk for other reasons ... but how hard is it to imagine what this must be like for someone in one or more of those categories? How hard is it to postpone a vacation in order not to be part of what is obviously a massive public health problem? It is utterly selfish and I suppose I shouldn't be shocked, but I am.
46
Disneyland is closed until April 1.
3
People need to stop thinking just about themselves, and realize that this very contagious virus spreads like neutrons in a uranium chain reaction. Everybody needs to participate in suppressing the multiplication of the virus.
29
“Who cares if I get sick and spread disease to other people, as long as no one interferes with my fun.”
That’s the quintessential American attitude: Me, me, me.
50
"Few guests had masks on."
Makes sense. Only those who HAVE the virus should be wearing masks.
8
We have long-planned a Disneyland trip for next week and are weighing our options. My concern is less with our getting the virus, (we are younger and healthy) and more with passing it on to others upon our return home, which would be heartbreaking. Much of Utah flocks to Disneyland for Spring Break - we'll see how the virus rate rises in a few weeks as a result.
12
I traveled thru Orlando International Airport three days ago..the security and screening was a walk up..there were few people there. That said, Disney is the draw to Orlando..and most suspect the issue of closing the park maybe mandated by the local government.
The impact on people and income will be just devastating, as so many people depend on Orland Int'l Airport and the parks for work. Tens of thousands could be out of work for an extended time. All it takes is one person who visited Disney to become infected..there or some other place to start a massive closure of the Disney. The impact will affect people for years.
5
I have a trip booked there in early April. Myself (35), mother (60) and nephew (8) are/were all planning to go. The news on the virus changes every minute. Chances are we won't be going in April and will postpone. I have to say that I'm more concerned about my mother than my nephew. It would be nice if Disney would honor the original price we paid instead of charging us more money to rebook to a new date. It would also be nice if Southwest Airlines would extend their expiration date. We booked our flight back in October so we have to use the tickets before then or we lose the money. This virus will continue to spread. I don't know where the country will be in four weeks.
9
As a physician spending hours a day trying to do what is best for our patients, in the current landscape of what has been just called a pandemic, I am shocked to see that DisneyWorld has not closed its parks to the public yet. Our family has tickets to go over spring break, and we have been so looking forward to this time. But going to the park, and continuing to spread the virus by doing so, is not the right thing to do for our nation. I recognize that the financial loss from closing the parks would be drastic. Yet, we should do what is right for our country. The NBA has cancelled the rest of its season, conference are being cancelled, and we are discouraging travel, both domestic and international. Keeping the park open now will kill many innocent people. Disney should do the right thing, go to bed with a clear conscience, and close the park now.
55
This is colossally selfish; but, not surprising. Earlier this fall when I suggested people get flu shots, a frequent response was that they wouldn't get sick or , at least, not that sick. I tried to explain that the issue wasn't only their health; but, that of vulnerable others.
Of course, there was a flu shot available and also pneumonia shots. In this case there is no such protection available for our most vulnerable.
And to risk the well-being of others to go to Disneyland? This doesn't bode well for our collective future.
30
It is so irresponsible for these parks to stay open, when every other country is in lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. Disney is creating its own petri dish to allow for the spread of a very contagious virus. I don't care how many hand sanitizers you put out there, if someone has the virus, they can still pass it on in a crowd.
My parents work at Disney and must face these tourists without masks or other ways to protect themselves. They are 65+. These families are not worried about it spreading to their kids (which I'm baffled by), but the point of social distancing is to also not spread it to the more vulnerable population. I seriously hope that Disney will choose to value health of their guests and cast members over money!
24
I think people are still going until there are reported cases in the area, then everything changes (was in Epcot Monday night).
@tom
By which point they will spread to others. Great!
3
“Me and my husband have been monitoring things, but didn’t feel like we needed to cancel our plans,” she said. “We have wipes, we have hand sanitizer, we aren’t elderly and honestly, if you’re going to get it, you’re going to get it. If I’m going to get sick and die, I might as well do it at Disney World.”
Utter, utter selfishness and ignorance of basic precautions to take.
54
@J.Abroni Dwayne Johnson Agreed; and bad English usage on top of it all.
4
if they can afford admission to the park they must have great health insurance
4
Like all issues that affect millions in this country, the almighty dollar controls the reaction of business and governments until famous or powerful people get sick and die. AIDS was barely on the radar until Rock Hudson died. Then the country woke up. We will, unfortunately limp along with this virus until the celebrities or athletes get very sick, and some die. Then the switch will turn on. Sad, but probably true.
4
I find it difficult to put into words how irresponsible and reckless this article is. Everyone around me is talking about "flatten the curve", not for our own health but for the greater good.
I am honestly shocked that this was published.
20
I just got back from Disney World. There is way more that can be done. To start, you go through security and the inspectors touch everything in your bag with the same gloves they used in all the bags before you. Then you have to put your finger on the scanner and go look for hand sanitizer off to the side. There should be hand sanitizers at the exit of EVERY ride. There is not. If there was any at all, it was at the entrance to the ride which makes no sense. I mentioned it to an employee at one of the rides. She shrugged. I went into 2 restaurants where the hand sanitizers were empty. I did stop at customer relations on the way out, they took my info and said they understand my concerns.
11
@Debbie With respect, Debbie, all of your "concerns" fly in the face of the clear recommendations of public health experts about avoiding large gatherings. All the hand sanitizer imaginable would not keep the park from being the perfect condition for spreading the virus, and frankly, it is not up to Disney to keep you safe from yourself.
2
Yuk, my idea of dying is to be anywhere near the Disney theme parks or on a cruise...the thought of suffering through these obscenely overpriced, crowded, tacky joints is worth than getting the Corona virus...and the moronic comments from the stupid, ill-informed parents are scary. Let them immerse themselves in the gross petri dish that is Disney World...GAG.
26
Going in late April. Would love at this point to to have the option to reschedule. We’ll see if Disney decides to give customers that option as other companies have. Looks like a Petri dish theme park at this point.
16
@Connie You can. So long as you're 30 days out, you can reschedule. Call Disney.
6
@Connie ..Disney only cares about the almighty dollar. That's pretty obvious.
7
@Connie You can change the date of the Disney ticket already up until a few days before your trip. If you go to My Disney Experience you should be able to make it happen.
2
It makes little sense to gather in Disneyland or places like this until the virus spread becomes contained. So many people from all over the US and other countries congregate here and wait on long lines together. It is time to take a breather and close it down for a period of time.
27
The point, however, is NOT the health of the nice healthy travelers, but the health of the country. Social distancing, not traveling, will help slow the spread.
80
“...We aren’t elderly,” she said.
Exactly the attitude that will surge COVID-19 cases and overwhelm hospitals, so elderly family members will be left to gasp for air while the younger (people like this woman) get the only available ventilators and care.
This is happening in Italy right now. And it will happen here too if irresponsible, greedy companies like Disney don’t shut down now.
Everywhere states and towns are shutting down large events.
Cancel everything.
105
Do the math from reading just a handful of NYT articles about the virus: Aggressive efforts in Australia to contain the virus have been, so far, successful; there's a shortage of tests and lack of testing in the U.S. (where only people with clear symptoms ate being tested); children, if infected, only show mild to no symptoms warranting no need to test them, so we have no idea how many kids are carrying and spreading the virus, so the CDC's recommendation is to avoid crowds. The blasé attitude reported in this article that's supported by Disney is the perfect example of how we're failing to keep things in control. All these park-visiting parents are unlikely to experience a child showing symptoms of covid19, but that doesn't mean they didn't walk away from they vacation bringing it home to grandparents, older teachers, and checkout clerks who are in a demographic where the disease can be quickly fatal. In a park setting like this, efforts to keep hands (especially children's) and surfaces constantly sanitized is impossible. These situations are welcoming the spread, and Disney has, sadly, embraced the ignorance our country has now become infamous for in this pandemic.
56
...or infect a 60 Cast Member
3
These people are doing a whole lot of rationalizing. If the virus is scary enough to justify cancelling the NBA season and bar Europeans from entering the country, theme parks should be closed. It makes no sense, from a public health standpoint, to permit them to stay open, especially given how devastating community spread could be among the elderly population in south Florida.
66
@Rupert If the authorities don't order the park closed, or Disney don't do it on their own, nobody gets refunds.
1
The level of ignorance reflected in this article is not surprising. People are so self-absorbed that there is little concern for the community to which they belong. People are unwilling to make any sacrifices if it effects them personally. I see this everywhere in FL. This is also refection of Trump's inability to comprehend the potential risks that this virus represents and clearly communicate the threat to the American people.
62
Please stay home and watch Disney content online. This is not the time for Proustian last hurrahs! Disneyland has been the site of a major measles outbreak in the past. Your will likely not die of the coronavirus, but traveling unnecessarily will prolong the epidemic and cause the deaths of many old and infirm people.
38
Children, who are constantly touching their faces. They may not get sick themselves, but they will come into contact with plenty of others who themselves could get sick, or spread it to the elderly or those with weaker immune systems. Shame on those parents, and shame on Disney for not discouraging visits or offering vouchers/refunds of some sort.
39
One factor of why attendance in the parks has not declined is that vacationers staying at Disney World have to pay in full their packages one month in advance, or suffer fees and penalties. That however may not be the case for April, as current reservations can still be cancelled or rescheduled without penalty. Disney's resort reservation system was down yesterday afternoon for several Disney resorts.
20
This is the pervasive selfishness that has taken hold in our society and will exponentially worsen the situation.
STAY HOME. We Orlando residents don't appreciate your cavalier attitude about greatly increasing our risk factor.
With entire cruise lines shutting down, I expect the parks to follow before much longer. Sorry if it disrupts the vacation plans of the self-absorbed.
62
My husband says I’ve been calling people arrogant a lot lately. Then I read him this headline. What parent says something like this? It’s not a Disney ending if you end up dying at Disney as a result of Covid-19. Pneumonia is a horrible way to die.
I get that this was a facetious comment. However, attitudes like the ones highlighted in this article illustrate why the US is likely to be hit harder than many (maybe any) other G-20 country.
45
So thoughtless and selfish. If these idiots insist on going I hope they have the decency to self-isolate when they return home but people like them generally don't give a hoot about the common good.
However if they or their older or vulnerable loved ones get sick and die from coronavirus they better not look to me for sympathy.
26