Would You Take a Blood Test to Enter Disney World?
It's now been more than a month since Disney (NYSE: DIS) closed the last of its industry-leading theme parks, and the chatter among enthusiasts and analysts alike has shifted to a viable timeframe to reopen the world's most visited gated attractions. Wall Street pros are divided. Some analysts believe Disney World and Disneyland can open as early as June -- in time for the historically potent summer travel season -- but at least one skeptical pro doesn't see guests going through those turnstiles until some point in fiscal 2021.
Time is money for Disney and all of the world's theme park operators, but the earlier Disney resorts open the greater the precautions it will have to take to ensure that it doesn't contribute to a surge in new COVID-19 cases. It's a logistical quagmire. How high can it cap attendance without disrupting social distancing? What will queues look like if guests are spaced out? How much will throughput suffer and labor costs spike as it sanitizes attraction queues through the day and wipes down attraction vehicles between riders?
Guests will also face hurdles just to get into the parks. Masks and mandatory temperature checks could be required the way the Shanghai Disney Resort is doing for visitors entering the shopping and dining district located outside its still-shuttered Shanghai Disneyland theme park. Former but still hovering CEO Bob Iger suggested that Shanghai's approach is a possibility closer to home in a Barron's interview earlier this month. However, what if a radical solution -- one that was recently put into place by a major foreign airline -- could help weed out more potential carriers from entering Disney World or Disneyland? Are you desperate enough for your theme park fix to submit to a blood test screening?
Source Fool.com
