November 01, 2022, 04:14 PM
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Guests at Shanghai Disney Resort were stuck there after Chinese authorities imposed a snap lockdown, trapping all those inside until they tested negative for Covid-19, the city government said in an online notice on Monday, Oct. 31.
The notice added that those who had visited the park since Oct. 27 must obtain three negative Covid-19 tests over three successive days and "avoid participating in group activities".
On the park's website, it is stated that attractions, such as Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown, and Wishing Star Park, will be closed "with immediate effect".
No clear date was given as to when the park will reopen, and that the park will inform visitors "as soon as [they] have a confirmed date to resume operations".
The snap closure comes just two days after the park began operating at a reduced capacity to comply with Covid-19 measures.
Trapped inside
Various videos on Chinese media website Weibo showed people rushing towards the park gates in an attempt to leave, but finding them already closed.
‼️CHINA 🇨🇳
— Aprajita Choudhary 🦋 (@aprajitanefes) October 31, 2022
Families run to the exit at Shanghai Disneyland as thousands of people are LOCKED IN and barred from leaving over Covid scare
Footage shared on Weibo showed panicked guests rushing to the park's gates to escape, only to find them locked. Around 60,000 visitors enter pic.twitter.com/NomQsuktcI
Other photos showed many health workers in hazmat suits getting nucleic acid tests -- similar to PCR tests -- ready to administer to park-goers.
More than 30,000 guests at Shanghai Disneyland were asked to undergo nucleic acid testing before being allowed to leave the park after an incoming guest tested positive for the new coronavirus, a move that underscores China's insistence on its eradication. pic.twitter.com/bRAf96oJdg
— Queen Kelly (@QueenKerri3) November 1, 2022
Long lines were seen forming in order for people to get tested so that they could leave the park.
Security officers were stationed at the entrances or exits to prevent visitors from leaving before they got tested.
上海迪士尼2022/10/31被封事件
— Louis007 (@Louisweng___) October 31, 2022
Shanghai DisneyLand in lockdown, forced to stay in…#covid #上海迪士尼 #lockdown pic.twitter.com/aBmsy51GwC
Many took to Weibo to express their disappointment with the situation.
"I came here to have fun, but I'm only left feeling angry," one user expressed.
However, free meals were given out to those stuck inside.
Photo via Weibo
At 10pm, people were eventually let out of the park, and were able to take the last train home at 11:30pm.
Zero-covid policy
China's zero-Covid policy has already seen millions of people repeatedly locked down, sometimes in unusual locations.
The sudden lockdowns have seen people fleeing shops, including Swedish furniture store IKEA, as well as workplaces, as they tried to avoid being trapped inside.
This incident was preceded by Shanghai reporting 10 asymptomatic, locally transmitted cases on Saturday, according to the National Health Commission.
China reported 2,699 local Covid-19 infections on Oct. 31.
Top images via Twitter
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