Deeming California governor Gavin Newsom’s shutdown rules “arbitrary,” Disney CEO Robert Chapek called on the state to allow Disneyland to reopen.
The company has reopened theme parks in Hong Kong, Orlando, Shanghai, and Tokyo following health and safety protocols that “are all science-based and have the support of labor unions representing 99 percent of our hourly cast members,” Chapek said during the company’s quarterly earnings call with analysts and reporters.
“We believe state leadership should look objectively at what we’ve achieved successfully at our parks around the world, all based on science, as opposed to setting an arbitrary standard that is precluding our cast members from getting back to work while decimating small businesses in the local community” he said.
Last month, former Disney CEO Robert Iger resigned from the governor’s economic recovery task force shortly after the state proposed allowing Disneyland to reopen at 25 percent capacity and admitting visitors from no more than 120 miles away.
TRENDPOST: As we have reported in this edition of the Trends Journal, different states and different dictators make up different rules and regulations to follow. And, as noted, travel and tourism business will greatly suffer as rulers around the world make up distances of how far people can travel, how many people can congregate, and how far apart they must stand while they are masked up.
In Ohio, for example, Governor Mike DeWine whined, “We are now in the most crucial phase of this pandemic,” and warned he would again shut down the state’s businesses, re-impose a statewide mask mandate, and set restrictions on social gatherings.
His threat to shut down restaurants, bars, gyms, and other sites where people congregate drew the business community’s ire.
“We aren’t going to stand for it this time around without taking legal action of our own,” said gym owner Ryan McFadyen.
We note the pushback because as economic conditions worsen and more businesses go bust, not only will legal actions be taken, the foundation for new anti-establishment political parties are being formed.
