"While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California's executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month," The statement read.
"The Hotels of Disneyland Resort will remain open until Monday, March 16 to give guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements; Downtown Disney will remain open. We will monitor the ongoing situation and follow the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and health agencies. Disney will continue to pay cast members during this time."
The closure marks just the fourth time in history the Anaheim park has closed - the others being after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the morning after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and after the Northridge earthquake, according to Variety.
Disney's Shanghai and Hong Kong parks were closed in January, and the Tokyo park was also temporarily shut.
The announcement comes after a wave of cancellations in the entertainment industry, including the postponement of musical festival Coachella and the SXSW festival in Texas.
Meanwhile, New York's governor ordered all Broadway theatres to shut their doors in the face of ongoing coronavirus concerns, plunging into darkness one of the city's most popular tourist attractions and causing turmoil in the run-up to the Tony Awards.
Andrew Cuomo on Thursday banned gatherings of 500 or more in the city, effectively forcing the hand of Broadway producers who had previously said that Broadway would be "open for business" unless advised not to by the Government.
Shows will resume the week of April 13, only 10 days before the official cut-off for eligibility for the Tony Awards. Cuomo said venues of under 500 can only be filled to half their capacity.
The move comes a day after Broadway's two largest theatre chains revealed that a part-time usher and security guard who worked at two theatres in recent days tested positive for Covid-19 and was under quarantine.
The pressure on Broadway to go dark steadily increased as other entertainment hubs closed, including Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, the NBA, NHL, CinemaCon, Coachella and Major League Soccer.
Actors took to Twitter to share their sadness. "My heart is with all my friends and colleagues," wrote Tony Award-nominee Judy Kuhn. "This is really bad for everyone who depends on the theater for their livelihoods." Kerry Butler, a Tony-nominated star of Beetlejuice, said the closure "is the right move to keep everyone safe".
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organisation, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Other theatres far from Broadway have closed their doors, including the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in California, which canceled or postponed all productions and programmes through to March 31.
The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle closed its doors, citing the state's mandated cancellation of public gatherings.
The 1600 seat Curran Theater in San Francisco decided to reduce the audience, allowing only a fraction of its capacity to see performances of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Broadway producers were cautious until now, with a wait-and-see approach for an industry that grossed US$1.8 billion last season. The Broadway League, a trade organisation representing producers and theatre owners, recommended that actors refrain from greeting fans at the stage door. - Additional reporting, AP
