Petitioners are pressing Disney to delay the July 11 reopening of its Orlando, Florida-based Walt Disney World, citing recent spikes in Covid-19 cases in the state, Reuters reports.
By Wednesday, more than 7,000 people had signed the petition, which was created by Katie Belisle, a Disney World Attractions hostess, and addressed to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
“This virus is not gone, unfortunately it’s only become worse in this state,” the petition says. “Having our theme parks remain closed until cases are steadily decreasing would keep our guests, our employees and their families safe.”
The Florida petition follows similar pushback from unions representing workers at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which is planning to reopen on July 17. In a June 18 letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, the unions said it is still unsafe to open the park. Over 49,500 people have signed a Change.org petition urging Disney to reopen the park at a later date.
