Shanghai Disneyland was locked down Sunday, after a woman who visited a day earlier tested positive for the coronavirus.
At about 5:00 PM local time Sunday Shanghai Disneyland announced it was no longer accepting any more guests. The guests who were inside the park were kept there until after they tested negative. 33,863 people were then tested, with priority given to women and children.
Read more: This Country Just Found its First Covid Case. Chances of Potential Lockdown
According to a Disney spokesperson, the tests went remarkably well and the last person was tested at about 10:30 PM.
The theme park will remain closed Monday and Tuesday as it continues to cooperate with pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a statement.
Shanghai Disneyland was the first global Disney Park to close in early 2020 but also became the first to open in May of that year.
Read more: New COVID-19 Outbreak Causes Another Lockdown in China
Disney says the attractions and entertainment continued for those guests still inside the park.
Phone charging was also offered so that people did not lose contact during the surprise testing.
“No one complained, and everyone behaved really well,” said Chen, who was waiting at a hotel for her second test before she can return to Beijing.
Read more: Vaccine Resistance to Mu Variant May Enforce Full Lockdown
The park’s closure comes after Beijing’s newly opened Universal Studios said Saturday that close contacts of infected people had been discovered among the previous weekend’s visitors.
China had reduced most domestic cases to a trickle during the pandemic, but a recent flare-up has tested Beijing’s determination to eliminate the contagion even as much of the rest of the world opens up.
Read more: Florida Emerges the Least Afflicted State By COVID-19 In US
China was where the pandemic began and while the virus has gone through multiple waves over the last year and a half in many parts of the world, China has kept its illness and death tolls comparatively low according to reported numbers.
The nation’s borders have not reopened since closing in March of 2020.
Stay updated with more news here at the East County Gazette.
