Disneyland Tokyo closes as Japan battles a coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 200 people
Tokyo Disneyland has been closed as Japan tries to control an outbreak of coronavirus in the country.
The Disneyland and DisneySea parks in the Japanese capital will not open on Saturday, the park’s operator said, and will remain closed until at least March 15.
‘The reopening date is scheduled for March 16, but we will contact closely with the relevant administrative organs and will inform you again,’ the company said.
Disneyland Tokyo has announced that the park will not open tomorrow and will be closed until at least March 16 in order to try and stop the spread of coronavirus
DisneySea park will also close, the park’s operators said Friday. It comes after Disney parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai were also shuttered
Japan has recorded more than 200 coronavirus cases, excluding the almost 700 people who fell ill on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with a significant cluster in the rural north.
Ten people have died from the disease in Japan, including five who were former passengers of the ship.
Universal Studios Japan also said it would close the park for two weeks.
It comes after Disney theme parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai were also shuttered in early January.
Disney said it expects to lose around $280million from a two-month closure of both parks. It is unclear when they will reopen .
People in the northern Hokkaido province have been told to stay home this weekend to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Japan is currently battling a coronavirus outbreak that has seen 200 people sickened, excluding the almost 700 patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship
Regional governor Naomichi Suzuki issued the pleas after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had called for all schools in the country to close for a month.
Abe has also asked organisers to consider cancelling or postponing major gatherings, with a range of events from football matches to concerts already cancelled or rescheduled in recent days.
‘We have to prevent emergence of a new cluster of patients among children,’ he told parliament. ‘We made this decision because we regard it as our political responsibility.’
The government cannot order schools to shut – a power that belongs to local education boards – and regional leaders voiced their surprise and mixed reactions at the abrupt announcement.
‘This is shocking news,’ Chiba city mayor Toshihito Kumagai posted on Twitter, saying a blanket schools closure could put pressure on working parents including medical and emergency professionals.
But some experts have recommended closures, with a key member of a government panel earlier saying smaller-scale school closures had helped contain a flu outbreak in 2009.
Ten people in Japan, including five from the Diamond Princess, have died from coronavirus (pictured, airport staff check passenger’s temperatures)
Japan is resorting to extreme measures to try and control the spread, amid fear the Tokyo Olympics – due to take place in July – may have to be cancelled
The steady spread of the virus in Japan has also fuelled speculation about whether Tokyo will be able to safely host the summer Olympics from July as planned.
The virus has so far infected at least 210 people across the country.
Abe’s call for school closures affects primary schools, high schools and junior high, but nurseries and after-school clubs that also cater to children during holidays will stay open, raising questions about the effectiveness of the policy.
‘I’m really angry about this decision, which won’t do anything to protect children,’ one mother of two told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘My company doesn’t offer teleworking, so I’m going to have to take days off,’ added another mother. ‘Financially, it’s very hard.’
Others were more understanding, with Miho Matsuno, a mother currently on maternity leave, saying measures to contain the infection were needed.
‘I think that we have to do the maximum possible, even if it seems excessive,’ she told AFP.
