Walt Disney World will close all of its hotels in Florida due to growing concern over the new coronavirus, the company announced early Monday.
In a tweet, the company said the hotels would not close until 5 p.m. on Friday to give guests time to arrange other accommodations.
The company also said all Disney stores nationwide will close on Tuesday, including in Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, and Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. To help contain the spread of the disease, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens closed on Sunday night for at least two weeks. Take a look at the tweet below:
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) March 16, 2020
The move was announced as cases of COVID-19 increased to more than 130 cases in Florida on Sunday. On Friday, officials had said there were more than 60 cases and by Saturday, about 100. Three people have died from the novel coronavirus in Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday evening announced that a drive-thru testing facility would soon open at a hospital in South Florida’s Broward County, the hardest-hit county from the coronavirus, as the state seeks to boost testing capacity.
DeSantis said Florida should brace for even more infections and he again urged residents — particularly younger people on spring break — to exercise caution and refrain from gathering in crowds.