On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its recommendation for gatherings of 50 people or more to be canceled or postponed until May as its latest attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The CDC's recommendation comes as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb in the US, and as government officials in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York order restaurants and bars to temporarily close.
Among the many theme parks that have temporarily shut their doors in light of public health concerns are Disney locations around the world, including Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Both US Disney resorts, in Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California, respectively, are closed at the time of writing for the duration of March.
Disney also announced early Monday that its company-owned stores at Disney Springs will temporarily shut down Tuesday, and hotels at Walt Disney World in Orlando will close Friday.
As experts continue to urge people to practice social distancing, or staying home and avoiding large public gatherings to "flatten the curve" of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, tons of people seemed to show up for Walt Disney World's final "Happily Ever After" fireworks show Sunday before its temporary closure, which went into effect Monday.
Walt Disney World News Today shared photos of the large crowds at Disney World's Main Street and in front of the Cinderella Castle.
Another Disney-centric website, BlogMickey.com, shared photos and a video on Twitter from the fireworks show, where Josh D'Amaro, the president of Walt Disney World, made an appearance to say goodbye to guests alongside Disney cast members.
—BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) March 16, 2020
Mickey Mouse and friends are seen waving farewell to the seemingly thousands of people at the "Happily Ever After" show.
—BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) March 16, 2020
—BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) March 16, 2020
Abigail Disney, the heiress to the empire, took to Twitter to offer her reaction to the crowds.
—Abigail Disney (@abigaildisney) March 16, 2020
Several other Disney enthusiasts and Twitter users shared their thoughts and outrage on the crowds from the park's Sunday night fireworks show amid nationwide attempts to avoid, cancel, and postpone large public gatherings.
—John “Thank the Phoenicians” Singh (@JJSingh) March 16, 2020
—G-Ride (@eyeregard) March 16, 2020
One Twitter user reacted with a meme showing the "flatten the curve" model.
—smooth braintrust (@badpostfactory) March 16, 2020
Other users commented on the Disney fireworks show as being an opposite example of social distancing.
—Elizabeth (@dreamingstar213) March 16, 2020
Representatives for Walt Disney World did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
- Read more:
- What 'social distancing' actually means, and how to know if you should cancel your plans during the coronavirus outbreak
- A list of major US tourist attractions that have closed because of the novel coronavirus
- Disneyland will donate all of its excess food to a local charity during the park's temporary closure
- How theme parks around the world are responding to the coronavirus outbreak
