Shanghai Disneyland locks 33,000 inside park after one case of covid detected

The Chinese Disney resort locked down on Sunday evening

Thousands of tourists were trapped in the Shanghai Disneyland resort and theme park after a single covid-19 case was identified, leaving more than 33,000 people locked inside.

As reported in multiple outlets, it is believed that the case in question was a woman who visited the park on Saturday (October 30) from the nearby city of Hangzhou, who later went on to test positive after returning home.

Thousands of visitors were suddenly locked in Shanghai Disneyland after a positive #Covid19 case was found in a woman who traveled from Hangzhou, China.

Nearly 34,000 people underwent testing, which ended close to midnight https://t.co/UeHjcGw2Dv pic.twitter.com/fCsCtV6RwT

— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) November 1, 2021

Understandably concerned about the prospect of widespread contamination, the doors to the park were then locked after health workers arrived on the scene to carry out mass testing.

None of the 33,000 visitors could leave the park until they had confirmed a negative test result, with the lockdown running from 5pm (if not earlier) all the way until around midnight.

In this second piece of footage, you can see scheduled firework displays erupting in the background whilst thousands queue at testing sites to confirm they are safe to leave.

Health officials in white protective suits issued orders for Shanghai Disneyland and the neighbouring Disneytown to be closed on October 31 after a recent visitor tested positive for Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/SAdcMVpYIZ

— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) November 1, 2021

It wasn’t how anyone expected to spend their Halloween night but the Chinese government has been widely reported as one of the most stringent when it comes to lockdowns and preventing the potential spread of the virus.

Likely aware that they were facing hours trapped inside the park with limited freedoms, another clip taken by a visitor shows hundreds rushing back towards the gates to avoid being locked in.

Shanghai Disneyland
People rushed to gates to escape the potential lockdown!
10/31/2021 night pic.twitter.com/JJ68hvANYw

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) November 2, 2021

Many of those who have travelled in from elsewhere in the country are now having to wait in nearby hotels and hostels until a second test can confirm their negative status.