What happened at Shanghai Disneyland? How many Covid cases have been reported and China’s policy explained

Visitors to Shanghai Disneyland have been filmed trapped inside after authorities announced a sudden lockdown, with people unable to leave without a negative Covid-19 test. Viral videos showed visitors trying to leave the theme park, which has been forced to close its doors for the second time in a year.

The incident comes after 10 cases of Covid-19 were reportedly detected in Shanghai on Saturday 29 October. China’s “zero covid” policy has seen widespread lockdowns continue, nearly three years on from the first infection in Wuhan. Lockdowns can happen swiftly, often with little warning, leaving residents stranded in their homes or places of work.

So, what happened at Shanghai Disneyland? Here’s everything you need to know.

What happened at Shanghai Disneyland?

Visitors at Shanghai Disneyland have been left trapped after the theme park went into lockdown. Reported by Reuters, on Monday 31 October after 11.30 am the announcement was made that the park was closing immediately in compliance with Covid regulations.

In a statement on WeChat, the Shanghai government said the park was barring people from entering or exiting and that all visitors inside the site would need to await the results of their tests before they could leave. It also stated that anyone who had visited the park since Thursday 27 October would be required to test for Covid-19 three times in three days.

Rides in Shanghai Disneyland continued to operate for visitors who were unable to leave. With ITV reporting that those stranded were also offered a free dinner.

In a video shared on Twitter by user Mike Sington, a huge crowd of visitors can be seen unable to leave the theme park. The tweet reads: “Thousands are trapped inside Shanghai Disney and are not allowed to exit until they’re tested for COVID, as the Chinese government’s strict zero-COVID policy goes into effect again.”

The situation is very similar to what happened in November 2021, when Shanghai Disneyland went into lockdown after being associated with a positive Covid-19 case. At the time 34,000 visitors inside the theme park had to undergo testing before being allowed to leave.

The theme park only reopened its doors in June 2022, it has not yet been confirmed when Shanghai Disneyland will reopen following this incident.

How many covid cases have been reported?

On Saturday 29 October 10 cases of Covid-19 were reported in Shanghai, with all of those testing positive not displaying any symptoms. Reported by Fortune, one of the cases was traced back to someone who had visited the theme park.

In April 2022, the region underwent brutal lockdown restrictions following a resurgence of infections, with a Shanghai resident telling NationalWorld at the time that the situation in the city was “apocalyptic”.

What is China’s covid policy?

China has continued to implement an extreme “zero covid” policy in a bid to reduce the possibility of infection and transmission. This means that if any postive cases of Covid-19 are detected lockdowns can occur without notice, leaving people stranded in their homes or places of work.

Additional lockdowns have making headlines with Deadline reporting the MGM Cotai Casino in Macau was closed on Monday 31 October.

Whilst the Financial Times reported that 10 Apple workers escaped out of the factory where they work after they were placed under lockdown in the central city of Zhengzhou. Workers described the situation as “total chaos in the dormitories” adding: “we jumped a plastic fence and a metal fence to get out of the campus.”