Walt Disney World and Disneyland will remain closed until further notice, the company announced Friday afternoon.
“In view of the current situation and in line with direction provided by government officials, Walt Disney World Resort will remain closed until further notice,” the company announced on their website.
“The Walt Disney Company has been paying its employees since the closure of the parks, and in light of this ongoing and increasingly complex crisis, we have made the decision to extend paying hourly parks and resorts cast members through April 18,” the company said in the statement.
Disneyland and Disney World began closing on Sunday, March 15th. They were initially going to say closed through March 31st. Disney’s parks business generates approximately $20 billion a year in revenue and continuing to keep the parks closed will have a strong impact on the company’s financial situation.
Executives at Disney outlined as much in a recent SEC filing for investors, noting that “the impact of the novel coronavirus and measures to prevent its spread are affecting our businesses in a number of ways.”