Updated October 22nd, 2020 at 10:45 IST

Businesses near Disneyland feel financial pressure

California will let fans back in outdoor stadiums for pro sporting events in counties with low coronavirus infection rates but isn't ready to allow Disneyland and other major theme parks to reopen, the state's top health official said Tuesday.

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California will let fans back in outdoor stadiums for pro sporting events in counties with low coronavirus infection rates but isn't ready to allow Disneyland and other major theme parks to reopen, the state's top health official said Tuesday.

Attractions spanning from Disneyland to Universal Studios are bracing for an even longer shutdown — and so are the surrounding communities lined with hotels, restaurants and shops that cater to visitors who no longer walk their streets.

The city of Anaheim, which is home to Disneyland, has slashed its general fund budget forecast by 30 percent because of plummeting hotel and other tax revenues usually generated by the resort area and a nearby convention center, said Mike Lyster, a city spokesman.

Officials fear mom-and-pop shops along a boulevard normally packed with backpack-toting tourists wearing Disney's hallmark Mickey Mouse ears could wind up closing for good.

One of the victims of this extended Disneyland shutdown is Rick Cearny who owns a Subway Sandwich shop across the street from Disneyland.  He has seen his daily business drop from 3,000 US dollafrs a day to just 300.  He feels he can stay in business at this rate for four to five months, but not much longer.

Image credits: AP/YouTube

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Published October 22nd, 2020 at 10:45 IST