Tokyo Disney Resort has been open since July 1st, operating on 12-hour days with certain limited exceptions. Particularly since September, both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have operated from 9am to 9pm daily. Now, the resort is cutting its operating hours short in response to a massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the Tokyo area.
Starting January 8th, both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will operate from 9am to 8pm through the end of January. According to the Oriental Land Company, this is due to a request from the Japanese government as it prepares for a potential state of emergency declaration in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures including Chiba, home to the Tokyo Disney Resort.
Tokyo alone reported a record 1591 new cases of COVID-19 on January 6th, a sharp increase from previous records in the first and second wave of the virus. And it seems the worst is yet to come, according to some experts, so we will keep our eyes on Tokyo Disney Resort as Japan navigates its worst wave yet of COVID-19.