- As California reopens from the COVID-19 pandemic, videos emerged of people lined up for Disneyland access.
- Masses of people without masks stood in lines for hours to get into the theme park.
- New state policies allow Disneyland to return to full capacity and drop mask requirements for people fully vaccinated for the coronavirus.
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California this week allowed theme parks to reopen at full capacity as COVID-19 cases in the US continue to decline, and videos posted online show masses of maskless people lined up to get into Disneyland.
One user posted a video on Instagram showing people lined up along roads for several blocks, waiting for hours to get into Disneyland. The video was reposted several times on TikTok.
Starting this week, visitors who are fully vaccinated for the coronavirus are no longer required to wear face masks in most areas of Disney theme parks, the company said. Though Disneyland is not yet at full capacity, the park is gradually welcoming back visitors, a spokesperson said.
In May, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all theme parks could return to full capacity on June 15, at the same time the entire state reopened. Previously, the parks had been forced to operate at 15% to 35% capacity limits to try and slow the spread of the virus.
Read more: Photos show large, maskless crowds filling Disneyland for the first time in over a year
Some TikTok videos said thousands of people have lined up outside the theme park. On Wednesday, one user said she had been waiting outside the park behind masses of park visitors since 5 am.
Other users celebrated that they no longer had to wear masks in the park.
The state's new guidelines no longer require visitors to maintain physical distancing requirements at parks. The venues are required to provide masks to all customers, but people are not required to wear masks in most areas if they have been fully vaccinated.
Customers planning on attending indoor venues must either be able to verify that they are fully vaccinated or take a COVID-19 test with a negative result 72 hours prior to entering the venue, but parks are not required to check the vaccination status of guests that visit the outdoor venue. The new policies will run through October 1, but will be reassessed on September 1.
Excitement surrounding a return to normal at Disneyland could help the company recover from the pandemic. Last year, the media giant lost nearly $5 billion due to park closures.