In a press conference this afternoon California Governor Gavin Newsom said that teams of state officials would be visiting theme parks this week as they look to collect some first-hand knowledge of park operations. When asked about what California could learn from the Walt Disney World reopening in Florida, Newsom said he would be sending a team to investigate.

Newsom acknowledged that the state sent out draft guidelines on reopening to theme parks. Guidelines, the theme parks say, that are too restrictive and don’t fully respect the hard work and successful reopening’s seen around the country and around the world. The theme parks were successful in delaying the release of those guidelines, but Newsom reiterated that California will be “stubborn” on their “health-first” approach to reopening.

If we’re reading between the lines, Newsom picked those words very carefully after a press release was issued by the Disney Parks Chief Medical Officer that rejected a claim by the Governor that reopening theme parks soon would be unsafe.

Newsom said that the state is also looking at breaking off some of the smaller amusement operators from bigger operations like Disneyland simply because of the amount of people each venue would draw. Newsom said that offering guidelines to bigger theme parks like Disney essentially requires a “start from scratch” approach due to the variety of services offered at the parks and resorts such as convention spaces and more.

While news of an on-site visit is surely welcome for Disneyland fans and furloughed Cast Members alike, it is important to temper expectations as it relates to a timely reopening. California draft guidelines called for a reopening in the “yellow” tier, which would still be weeks away at a minimum, and months away should COVID-19 numbers increase this fall.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!