The theme park has only closed four times in its history. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Kevin Dahlgren)
In the next step toward stopping the rapid spread of coronavirus, Disney Resort officials announced Thursday that Disneyland, California Adventure, Disney World and Disneyland Paris Resort theme parks were to shut their doors through the end of the month.
The California parks were set to close Saturday, through the end of the month.
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort were set to close at the close of business on Sunday, March 15.
Disneyland hotels in California were to remain open through Monday so guests could make arrangements for travel.
Downtown Disney in Orange County, California, was to remain open, the statement read.
Disneyland officials also said they'd work to accommodate guests who had booked hotel stays.
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The statement also said cast members would continue to receive pay, despite the closures.
The Disney Cruise Line was also set to suspend all new departures starting Saturday, March 14, through the end of the month.
Employees for Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Direct-to-Consumer, and Parks, Experiences and Products were all to work from home, when able, the statement read.
Later Thursday, Universal Studios announced it would shutter Saturday, until March 28.
Many events, including Coachella, had been canceled or postponed, and many schools had shifted to online classes in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. See the list here.
By Thursday, more than 127,000 positive cases had been reported worldwide, with deaths exceeding 4,700.
Anyone concerned about cancellations could contact the Walt Disney Travel Company at 714-520-5050.
Leaders in both California and Miami have announced new guidance on the sizes of gatherings, which influenced Disney's decision to close its parks in the United States.
“Late last night, California put out a new policy on mass gatherings and engaged in deep conversations with Disney and other companies about how to meet it. Using that policy, Disney made the right call in the interest of public health and agreed to shut down their California parks. Expect more announcements like this shortly," Gov. Gavin Newsom said of the closure.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made similar recommendations Thursday "to help us flatten the curve of this as people get exposed," he said at a Miami press conference.
Disneyland in California has closed three times since opening in 1955. It first closed after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, then in 1994 due to the deadly Northridge quake, and the third time was after the terror attacks on Sept. 11.
Disney World has closed several times over the years because of hurricanes that swept Florida.
