In a news conference held by NBC LA today, theme park leaders from Disneyland Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Legoland, and more responded to Governor Newsom’s guidelines, stating that it’s unfair to keep large theme parks closed for the foreseeable future. In response, Universal Studios Hollywood President Karen Irwin stated that the park is exploring reopening with food and retail only.

Los Angeles County is among the most impacted in the state, still in a Purple “Widespread” tier, making a full-fledged reopening of Universal Studios Hollywood nearly impossible until sometime in 2021, considering that the requirements for large theme parks to reopen state that the county must be in the Yellow “Minimal” tier.

“Pushing us into Tier Four behind other businesses that have already reopened makes no sense. It ignores science, reason and the economic devastation this will bring to the thousands of our employees, the indirect businesses that rely on us and our industry overall. The health and safety of our guests and team members has always been our top priority. We have designed detailed health and safety protocols that allowed us to open our theme parks in Orlando, Osaka and Singapore. We have collaborated with LA County health and government officials on a comprehensive plan to move forward safely here, and we are prepared and ready to reopen. Our theme parks are controlled primarily outdoor businesses that we have proven we can operate responsibly.”

Karen Irwin, President and CEO of Universal Studios Hollywood

You can hear more of Irwin’s thoughts on the current reopening guidelines in the video below: