Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[thomas998]

Disney to stop paying 100,000 workers but is still on track to give shareholders $1.5 billion

Disney over the past month has raised debt and signed new credit facilities, leaving the company with about $20 billion in fresh cash to draw upon for a downturn. “They could afford” no…

www.dailynews.com

As a shareholder I see no problem with this. Reality is lots of people have shares in Disney and depend on the dividends. Some people are retired and truly depend on those dividends to live on... what would your prefer to have happen the company stops paying dividends so they can pay workers that are not working, tank the stock price and then leave the company open for someone investment group to take over? Too often I see these things where people think that a big business should give away money to workers that aren't working. Is that what you would do in your own home? Hire someone to mow the lawn but then allow him to not even show up to mow your lawn but still pay him? The world doesn't work like that on a small scale and it doesn't work like that in a large business either. Shareholders come first, if you want a business where that isn' t the case go find a CO-OP.

 

[JohnD]

Does anybody think Disney stock will still go lower because of covid and not opening the parks?

Anything is possible. Oil is below zero.

 

[jmp85]

That information is out there. Google contact tracing and South Korea. I know you have disregarded that option as a viable solution, but it is a central part of South Korea's response. Trace, Test, Isolate. The Government posts detailed statistics of who (no names, but age, gender, etc), when, where. Private companies have developed apps that map the government's data. People downloaded the apps and use them. If a positive is recorded in their neighborhood, people change their behavior and movements, show up to be tested and self-isolate. Lather, rinse, repeat.

So, I have some questions about contact tracing. Maybe someone can help clarify things for me a bit. I keep hearing that testing and contact tracing will be the next step towards reopening. However, I have a hard time reconciling that with asymptomatic carriers / mild symptom cases who may not be tested. These people are going to be out there spreading the virus without ever getting tested. If this thing is half as contagious as we think it might be, will contact tracing even matter? It seems like we're all going to get this at some point.

 

[rk03221]

As a shareholder I see no problem with this. Reality is lots of people have shares in Disney and depend on the dividends. Some people are retired and truly depend on those dividends to live on... what would your prefer to have happen the company stops paying dividends so they can pay workers that are not working, tank the stock price and then leave the company open for someone investment group to take over? Too often I see these things where people think that a big business should give away money to workers that aren't working. Is that what you would do in your own home? Hire someone to mow the lawn but then allow him to not even show up to mow your lawn but still pay him? The world doesn't work like that on a small scale and it doesn't work like that in a large business either. Shareholders come first, if you want a business where that isn' t the case go find a CO-OP.

I’m a shareholder too and I think it’s better for the CMs long term. While their furloughed they are still getting health insurance which is good. Disney is doing the best they can imo, they are doing everything they can to keep their cms and don’t want a staffing crisis when they open again. We’ll see what happens, I’m interested to see what’ll happen with most cms, I’m a former one myself and most of them aren’t even from Florida

 

[jmp85]

Have you looked at how the contact tracing works? It is pointless as it only informs you if you were in close proximity to someone that was later determined to be infected. Well when testing only happens to a small portion of the 20% that get symptoms and then feel bad enough to go to the hospital how many times will you have come into contact with someone that asymptomatic or even had symptoms but didn't feel bad enough to try and find a test somewhere. At this point the contact testing is useless but lets look at the next problem. The infected person goes to a counter and coughs while paying, he then leaves, you come up a minute later to where he was inhale all the little viruses he left in the air but are not notified of ever being in proximity to him because he was gone and out of range when you arrived at the infection point. Again this system is more theater to make people think they are doing something but it doesn't do anything in reality except convince some people to drop their guard. If this is the road we are headed down then everyone should just go find the nearest infected person and give them a big wet kiss so that everyone can get the virus and either recover or die, but at the very least put it all to rest.

I've been having the same thoughts when it comes to contact tracing. Glad to see I'm not the only one.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

What's "wow" about that statemen?. I'm not inferring anything about responses in these areas, but the fact of the matter is they're comprising about 50% of cases and deaths currently. It's just additional context to consider.

It’s not additional context. It’s a easy way to make a point for what you consider is right. 3 weeks ago it would have been 2 different states. Today its these two. In 2 weeks it could be another. It’s all around us and what we do to stop it depends on possibly what 2 states you decide to name in the future.

 

[lilypgirl]

So, I have some questions about contact tracing. Maybe someone can help clarify things for me a bit. I keep hearing that testing and contact tracing will be the next step towards reopening. However, I have a hard time reconciling that with asymptomatic carriers / mild symptom cases who may not be tested. These people are going to be out there spreading the virus without ever getting tested. If this thing is half as contagious as we think it might be, will contact tracing even matter? It seems like we're all going to get this at some point.

There is a really good interview on al.com today with a doctor and dean at UAB that talks about this. It sounds like something they may be doing on Alabama campuses this fall.

 

[Piebald]

My concern with the parks reopening too soon are how it affects CMs and locals. I doubt many people will fly/drive to Disney anytime in the very near future, so you'd likely rely heavily on APs and people from other parts of Florida essentially just creating a vacuum of the effects of covid19.

 

[JohnD]

Some of those questions may be answered when we start to see Georgia open up. Will people go to a nail salon, hair salon, etc. I know there’s not a large crowd but personal contact will be there and there will be a risk. This will lead to larger areas opening until eventually large venues. Will be interesting to watch how this rolls out

When barbershops open, I'll be first in line.

 

[jmp85]

It’s not additional context. It’s a easy way to make a point for what you consider is right. 3 weeks ago it would have been 2 different states. Today its these two. In 2 weeks it could be another. It’s all around us and what we do to stop it depends on possibly what 2 states you decide to name in the future.

What point am I trying to make? What states from three weeks ago are you referring to? To argue it "could" happen somewhere else is irrelevant.

 

[Polynesia]

My concern with the parks reopening too soon are how it affects CMs and locals. I doubt many people will fly/drive to Disney anytime in the very near future, so you'd likely rely heavily on APs and people from other parts of Florida essentially just creating a vacuum of the effects of covid19.

I agree they shouldn’t open until it’s safe. Reports are out that Florida has been exposed to this weeks before Disney closed. That makes sense why there aren’t reports of cast members getting sick in March and April. I apologize that this has been mentioned before but it’s valid. The same would hold true for the central Florida area

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

The contract tracing thing is interesting... if it’s required i think people will leave phones at home / in the car more often. I mean if you know taking your phone in to the Starbucks could result in a 14 day mandatory quarantine... wouldn’t you leave it in the car?

 

[Parker in NYC]

The contract tracing thing is interesting... if it’s required i think people will leave phones at home / in the car more often. I mean if you know taking your phone in to the Starbucks could result in a 14 day mandatory quarantine... wouldn’t you leave it in the car?

I would. But you have a lot of faith in idiots (other than me, of course).

 

[TrojanUSC]

This is true. The key is to open things gradually to manage the outbreak. That also means the phases are not necessarily linear. If after 2 weeks things look good and you move to phase 2 it’s possible things go backwards and after another 2 weeks instead of graduating to phase 3 an area could stay put or even move back to phase 1. I think there are some overly optimistic people who think that 4 weeks after beginning to lift stay at home orders we will magically be on to phase 3 and everything is open. I hope that happens, but it’s likely to take more time.

One of the key aspects of opening up is that the healthcare providers get the proper equipment and supplies to continue to care for sick people safely. It is true that our hospitals were not overrun during wave 1 with shortages of ventilators and people dying due to lack of care, but our healthcare workers paid a heavy price for that. We can‘t expect people to work the hours they put in during the peak until there’s a vaccine and do it without proper equipment. There was a toll both mentally and physically on these people and without them many of the severely ill would have died. I want the country opened as much as the next person but we have to be better prepared and I hope that’s what’s happening right now while we ramp up to start phased openings.

Someone should tell this to Georgia.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

What point am I trying to make? What states from three weeks ago are you referring to? To argue it "could" happen somewhere else is irrelevant.

We might as well say if it wasn’t for Washington, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,(add a states here) that the US is doing great. It doesn’t work like that, especially with a virus that spreads so easily like this one. Last time I checked this states were still in the US. One wrong move and we can be naming another few.

 

[TrojanUSC]

The contract tracing thing is interesting... if it’s required i think people will leave phones at home / in the car more often. I mean if you know taking your phone in to the Starbucks could result in a 14 day mandatory quarantine... wouldn’t you leave it in the car?

You would be asked to get tested, then if positive quarantine. Why would you want to risk the lives others by being selfish?

It's just a more high tech system than the same process that is used now for HIV, Hepatitis and TB.

 

[Parker in NYC]

You would be asked to get tested, then if positive quarantine. Why would you want to risk the lives others by being selfish?

Have you met humanity? And no, I don't mean those who we know are keeping the peace right now. I mean those we don't know about who do their damndest to upset the apple cart on a daily basis either through ignorance, selfishness, or both.

 

[thomas998]

Removing New York / New Jersey from the U.S. (numbers) would make a huge difference.

Yep and the reality is the high population density is the reason for the massive problems in that area. You might as well be on a cruise ship as to be living in the NYC area. Last time I visited someone in NYC their apartment didn't have any special air system that pumped their air directly outside and sucked in air from outside, the air in an apartment building is going to eventually drift throughout the hole building. I might take a while for some viruses shed on the 14th floor to make it to the 4th floor but it will happen after a while.

 

[Bill in Atlanta]

Some of those questions may be answered when we start to see Georgia open up. Will people go to a nail salon, hair salon, etc. I know there’s not a large crowd but personal contact will be there and there will be a risk. This will lead to larger areas opening until eventually large venues. Will be interesting to watch how this rolls out

That's right. Disney won't reopen until they know the answer, similar to a good lawyer never asking a question they don't know the answer to.

Maybe a combination of a) studies coming out showing higher % of asymptomatic cases than previously thought, and b) confidence that the Florida summer will be inhospitable to the virus, will get the gates open sooner than later. I'm more optimistic than I was a couple of weeks ago.

 

[GoofGoof]

The contract tracing thing is interesting... if it’s required i think people will leave phones at home / in the car more often. I mean if you know taking your phone in to the Starbucks could result in a 14 day mandatory quarantine... wouldn’t you leave it in the car?

I don’t know I think the majority of people who test positive would be responsible enough to know they need to stay in quarantine. I don’t think most people are that selfish that they would go out and knowingly infect others. I may be naive and have way more faith in humanity.