Disney Parks will lay off 28,000 employees, announced Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro, due to the impact of COVID-19 on the reopening of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. According to D’Amaro, 67% of the affected employees are part-time. Non-working Disney Parks employees have been on furlough since April, with both Disneyland and Walt Disney World having closed in March. While Walt Disney World in Florida reopened back in July, albeit with reduced hours of operation, Disneyland in California has remained closed since March. D’Amaro claims that the state of California’s COVID-19 safety measures “exacerbated†the impact of the pandemic on Disney Parks, pointing to the state’s “unwillingness†to lift restrictions on reopening Disneyland. Disney Parks has faced a massive financial loss in the wake of the pandemic, with profits dropping 91% in the first three months of 2020. The company will meet with affected employees and the unions that represent them over the next few days, per D’Amaro’s statement.