While California's Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure remain closed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the Downtown Disney shopping district is open for business. However, a new report suggests that Disney is not reporting the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases among its employees and is sending sick employees back to work in the district.
According to The Daily Beast, unlike the NBA Bubble in Disney World in Florida, Downtown Disney has no on-site testing, lets thousands of individuals pass in and out with only a temperature check and runs a weak contact tracing program. The House of Mouse only informs unions of the positive cases among its workers, making it difficult for the dozen unions that represent Disney — or "cast members," as they are called in the park — to coordinate and locate others who may have been exposed to the virus.
"We want to know if any cast members have tested positive. But Disney has taken the position that they're only going to tell us if our cast members do," said Matt Bell, a spokesperson for the union UFCW Local 3 said. "What is supposed to happen is contact tracing—find out who was exposed and quarantine them as well. I can't confirm that they’ve done that." Of the 11 unions The Daily Beast contacted, none could confirm the total number of COVID-cases at Downtown Disney.
Instead, co-workers and unions must rely on word of mouth. "Co-workers texting each other, co-workers talking to each other, and things that my [spouse] has seen on the job. None of this is from any of the managers," the spouse of a cast member who is prohibited from speaking to the press said. "Disney management is not really officially acknowledging that any of this is happening."
In one instance, an employee tested positive for the virus on his own time. However, Disney did not confirm the positive case until a week later, leaving exposed co-workers in the dark for days. In another case, an employee who had tested positive for the virus was cleared to return to work just five days later, despite the fact that he had not isolated for the recommended 14 days or received a negative test.
Fearful for their lives and jobs, some workers and their families sought government intervention and help. However, the City of Anaheim has either responded with standard acknowledgments that a complaint has been received or completely ignored the individuals' messages. Downton Disney is a significant generator of sales tax revenue.
"We understand the concerns of anyone working or going back to work," Chief Communications Officer for the City of Anaheim Mike Lyster told The Daily Beast. "But we are unaware of any concerns at Downtown Disney."