Hong Kong, Jun 15 (IANS): Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will reopen on Thursday after being closed for almost five months because of the coronavirus pandemic, the theme park announced on Monday.

In a statement, the park on Lantau Island said during the initial reopening phase, all guests, including park ticket holders and members, will be required to book a trip through its website seven or eight days before a visit, reports the South China Morning Post newspaper.

Reservations will not be required for children below the age of three, and will be admitted free of charge as usual.

Social-distancing measures will be implemented in queues, restaurants, on rides, and at other facilities throughout the park, while character experiences requiring close interaction and close-up photos are to be temporarily suspended.

Guests will have to fill out a health declaration form online, and undergo temperature screening upon arrival.

Masks must all be worn, except when eating and drink, the park has announced.

Hotel services at the resort are also to reopen gradually, while MTR train services on the Disneyland Resort line will resume on Wednesday.

The pandemic prompted Disneyland theme parks around the world to close temporarily, the South China Morning Post report said.

The resort in Shanghai was the first of its 12 parks to reopen last month, but restricted its daily capacity to a third of its normal 80,000 visitors, admitting 24,000 visitors on its first day.

Disney shut the parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong before the Lunar New Year holiday in January, as the virus outbreak intensified.

It closed its theme park in Tokyo in February, and its parks across the US and Paris in March.

They remain closed until further notice.