Disneyland Parks May Check Guest Temperatures When They Reopen

There is still no scheduled opening date for Disney's theme parks around the world. Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World closed in March, along with parks in France, Japan, and China, due to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. It was April 3 when the company announced the United States parks would stay that way indefinitely.

However, Disney is trying to figure out what will change once the gates to the parks do open again. Speaking with Barron's, former CEO and current executive chairman Bob Iger hinted at how the company might screen those who enter the parks.

"One of the things that we're discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they're safe," he said. "Some of that could come in the form ultimately of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny, more restrictions. Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people's temperatures, as a for-instance."

Iger explained that the company has been studying the steps China is taking as it slowly comes back online. "We've asked ourselves the question, let's prepare for a world where our customers demand that we scrutinize everybody," he said. "Even if it creates a little bit of hardship, like it takes a little bit longer for people to get in."

So while nothing is set in stone yet, it seems the company is at least considering a temperature check as part of the security screening process once the parks reopen. For now, though, an opening date has not been announced.