ANAHEIM (CNS) - Shoppers flocked to Downtown Disney Thursday as the outdoor mall next to Disneyland reopened after a nearly four-month closure because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Renee Hudson told The Orange County Register she flew from Las Vegas with her daughter Justine Stacks for the reopening.
"We came in for the day just for this," Hudson told The Register.
Hudson and Stacks arrived two hours before the mall reopened to be among the first in line for World of Disney so Stacks could buy more than 20 Minnie Mouse ears and Disneyland 65th anniversary collectibles, according to The Register.
World of Disney opened at 9:30 a.m., a half-hour earlier than the other stores, to accommodate the anxious crowd of shoppers, The Register reported.
Disney eventually cut off the line to the flagship store and started adding shoppers to a virtual wait list with no estimate of a return time, according to The Register.
A cast member told The Register 1,000 people were in the snaking line to get on the virtual wait list.
Shoppers are required to have their temperatures checked for fever and to wear masks indoors.
Only outdoor dining is allowed and bars must be closed for the next few weeks under recent state guidelines to deal with the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Downtown Disney employees have been given thermometers to check their temperatures before they leave home for work and before checking in. Officials said they have heightened cleaning and disinfecting and are providing hand sanitizer for guests and employees.
Employees who have to quarantine will receive sick pay, according to Disney.
