The Walt Disney Co. swung to a profit in its most recent quarter as reopened parks provided a revenue bounce.

Revenue in the parks and products division surged to $4.3 billion from $1.1 billion a year ago, as theme parks closed last year were open for part or all of this year's quarter. Disney World in Florida has been open since last summer; California's Disneyland only came back at the end of April.

The effect of the pandemic lingers at the parks, many of which are operating at reduced capacities, the company says. Disney is among the country's largest employers to require worker vaccinations. It also announced in July that visitors to its U.S. theme parks must again wear masks indoors.

Asked about concerns about the infectious delta variant affecting the park business, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said on a call with analysts that the company sees “strong demand” at the parks continuing, although there have been group and convention cancellations.

Disney's ability to keep its parks and resorts open “is clearly of the utmost importance to their bottom line,” said Third Bridge analyst Joe McCormack.

Disney on Thursday reported that its net income was $918 million in the three months through July 3, compared with a loss of $4.72 billion in its fiscal third quarter a year ago. Earnings per share came to 50 cents, or 80 cents excluding one-time items, while revenue climbed 45% to $17.02 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet predicted earnings of 55 cents per share on revenue of $16.76 billion. Disney shares jumped more than 5% to $188.72 in after-hours trading.

GM truck production back on next week after chip downtime

General Motors Co. will resume full-size truck production at all three of its pickup plants after taking a week off for the global chip shortage, the automaker confirmed Thursday.

The affected plants: Flint Assembly, where heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups are built, Silao Assembly in Mexico and Fort Wayne Assembly in Indiana, where light-duty Silverados and Sierras are made.

All three were down the week of Aug. 9 and all will resume full production Monday.

GM has tried to protect its full-size pickup and SUV plants as it has battled through the chip shortage throughout the year. The shortage is expected to affect production and automaker revenues into 2022.

New Orleans mayor: Good times can roll — with vaccines

NEW ORLEANS — People who want to enter New Orleans bars, restaurants, music halls — or any other inside venue — will soon have to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus or a recent negative test, according to new rules announced Thursday by the mayor amid a surge in virus cases.

Louisiana has become a hot spot for the fourth surge in the pandemic, driven by both low vaccination rates across the state and the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. While New Orleans' residents are getting vaccinated at slightly higher rates than the U.S. as a whole, the vaccination rate for the entire state is one of the worst in the country.

“Look for your vaccination card and be prepared to show it,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at an afternoon news conference. She said the requirement begins Monday, although there will be a one-week grace period before the city begins aggressive enforcement.

Cantrell stressed that she is not imposing capacity limits on businesses or contemplating a shutdown similar to the one that devastated businesses in 2020. “Unlike this time last year, we have a tool that we did not have,” she said, referring to vaccines.

Venues falling under the new rule include the Superdome, where a new NFL season begins soon.

On July 30, Cantrell implemented a mandate requiring that people wear masks indoors, and Gov. John Bel Edwards later put one in place across the state. State, city and hospital officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, stressing that nearly all of those in the hospital are not vaccinated. Cantrell said Thursday that most of the people hospitalized in New Orleans with COVID-19 are from outside the city.

Many restaurants, bars and coffee shops in New Orleans have already put in place their own requirement that patrons either show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours. And the city is already requiring that workers and contractors get vaccinated.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Thursday that the city will require proof of full vaccination against coronavirus for indoor sites, including restaurants, bars and gyms. New York's mayor last week said the city will require proof of at least one shot for indoor activities.

By Associated Press