Universal Studios Beijing Still Plans on a 2021 Opening Despite COVID-19 Outbreak

Universal Studios Beijing is still on track for its scheduled opening in May of 2021 with construction expected to be completed by the end of 2020 despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 outbreak, Al Jazeera reports.

The announcement of the park’s progress, made by a Beijing official, seems to indicate that Universal Studios is having better luck in China than competitor Six Flags, whose plans to open their first park in the country have largely fallen flat due to a shoddy partnership.

The construction site began taking major precautions against the disease as early as Jan 23, suspending personnel coming from highly affected areas and screening all personnel who enter the site with temperature checks, according to the Beijing Daily. After the Spring Festival, workers were returned to Beijing in private vehicles and were quarantined for 14 days. Altogether, more than 2,100 personnel have returned to work on the site.

More than half of the four square kilometer park’s construction has already been completed, and because construction materials had been stored on the site before Chinese New Year, construction is able to continue on without having to worry about contaminated materials entering the park. Within the park limits, however, additional precautions are being taken, including sanitizing areas of the park, limiting personnel to working in groups of six or less, and having workers eat privately in their dormitories.

So far, both the Universal Studios Grand Hotel and the NUO Resort Hotel have completed construction, along with the Universal CityWalk Beijing. The main structures have been completed for most of the park’s rides, and installation of the rides can now begin.

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Images: Universal Studios, Beijing Daily