Walt Disney Co. said it would lay off about 28,000 employees at its domestic theme parks, citing continuing restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly its inability to reopen Disneyland in Southern California. The laid-off workers have been on furlough since April, the company said, collecting health benefits but not pay. About two-thirds of them are part-time employees, the company said, adding it would soon enter discussions with unions about “next steps” for their members. A top state health official said Tuesday that Orange County, home to Disney’s flagship theme park, failed to meet guidelines that would have allowed easing restrictions on businesses. The county is currently in the second tier, which indicates the state still considers the spread of the new coronavirus “substantial.” Local officials and business leaders had hoped the county, south of Los Angeles, would qualify for the third tier, a designation that the region has improved to a “moderate” spread level.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 29, 2020 21:12 UTC