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Hong Kong Disneyland to close again due to coronavirus surge

A sign announcing the park's first closure in January. Photo: Ayaka McGill/AFP/Getty Images

Hong Kong Disneyland on Monday announced that it would close again on July 15, after reopening last month from a coronavirus-driven shutdown that began in January.

The state of play: Hong Kong authorities ordered it to close after the city reported 38 new infections on Friday. Comparatively, Orlando's Walt Disney World reopened Saturday even as the state reported over 15,000 new cases in a single day over the weekend.

The big picture: Hong Kong authorities also announced that schools and movie theaters must shut down amid the surge of cases.

  • Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the maximum size of public gatherings will decrease from 50 people to four — and dine-in services at restaurants will be banned after 6pm, per the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: Entertainment executives have been looking to Hong Kong, as well as mainland China, to forecast how and when to safely reopen venues around the world.

  • It's an especially devastating signal to the U.S., which is experiencing a massive uptick in coronavirus cases nationwide, that the country's ambitions to open — and keep open — its entertainment venues as planned this summer may not be possible.

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer
Oct 20, 2020 - World

Argentina becomes 5th country to report 1 million coronavirus cases

High school students at an improvised classroom in the yard of their school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Oct. 13. Photo: Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images

Argentina's health ministry reported 12,982 new coronavirus cases Monday night, taking the country's total to 1,002,662.

Why it matters: Argentina is the fifth country to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases, after Russia (over 1.4 million), Brazil (more than 5.2 million), India (7.5-plus) and the U.S. (over 8.2 million), per Johns Hopkins. "It means one in every 45 Argentinians have had the virus," the Guardian notes. The country reported Monday that the virus had killed another 451 people, taking the death toll to over 26,000.

Editor's note: The headline of this story has been corrected to show Argentina passed 1 million cases not 5 million.

Jacob Knutson
Oct 20, 2020 - Health

University of Michigan students ordered to shelter-in-place

Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

University of Michigan students must shelter-in-place for 14 days due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases on campus, the school's president Mark Schlissel wrote in a letter on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Schlissel said the order is meant to address small- and medium-sized social gatherings that have been identified as the primary cause of new cases on campus.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Caitlin Owens, author of Vitals
Oct 21, 2020 - Health

The overwhelming aftershocks of the pandemic

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The coronavirus pandemic will wreak havoc on the U.S. health care system long after it ends — whenever that may be.

Why it matters: The pre-pandemic health care system was already full of holes, many of which have been exposed and exacerbated over the past several months, and many Americans will be stuck with that system as they grapple with the long-term consequences of the pandemic.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow