Disney World Scraps Mask requirements.
Disney World Scraps Mask requirements.
As Covid fades away and governments shift their focus to treating the virus as an endemic disease, a number of public and private organizations has started to reverse pandemic-era requirements. Now it’s Walt Disney World‘s turn to make masks optional at all of its parks.
The popular holiday destination, which attracts millions of visitors every year, has been tilting back and forth with restrictions over the last two years, as it struggled to keep up with both statewide curbs in Florida and mandates at a national level.
Despite initially removing the mask requirement solely for vaccinated guests, the land of fairytales is now doing away with the rule entirely:
Visitors No Longer Required To Wear Face Masks
Disney World has been taking it easy on its stricter Covid regulations, which included mask wearing and social isolation. Park officials discussed mandating all employees to obtain Covid vaccines back in November 2021, but those plans never materialized.
Following months of mandating mask use solely among unvaccinated guests after fully inoculated tourists were exempted from wearing them as early as February, Walt Disney World has officially removed masks for all guests, regardless of vaccination status, beginning of April 18.
This means that visitors to the parks in the coming weeks or over the summer will no longer need to bring extra face masks, nor will they need to wear them indoors at restaurants or on public transportation, or when riding rides or visiting outdoor areas.
Visiting Disney is again like it once was prior to March 2020.
Does This Apply Only To The Florida Parks?
Visitors will be able to get closer to their childhood heroes thanks to the return of meet-and-greets with classic characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the princesses to all Disney parks and attractions in the United States. They are as follows:
- Disneyland
- Walt Disney World
- Disney Cruises
- Aulani Resort in Hawaii
Prior to April, Disney prohibited face-to-face meetings to protect its employees. Hugs, autographs, and other close-up encounters between Disney characters and guests are either prohibited or severely discouraged.
This all changes as of April 2022.
Other Companies Are Also Dropping Their Mask Mandates
The news follows the overturning of the federal mask mandate by a Florida judge earlier this week, who deemed the CDC had ‘overstepped its authority’ on the matter. The judge’s decision has been noted to influence airlines to relax their own mask policies, including Delta and United Airlines.
The judge’s ruling might also have encouraged Disney to change its stance on masks, as the company had been juggling both state and federal requirements, and dissatisfied customers who strongly opposed mask mandates.
Similarly to Disney, others such as Uber and `Lyft have also recently lifted their mask rules for both drivers and riders, adding to the list of US-based companies that are now returning to a pre-pandemic state of normality, and allowing customers to assess their own Covid risks.
Despite having joined the overall reopening trend, which has seen a number of destinations in Europe and beyond removing all Covid rules, Disney World has stated they will be ‘making adjustments to these measures, which may continue to change at any time without notice’.
This could mean a state of fewer restrictions (e.g. no masks, no social distancing, no vaccine passes or testing) is conditioned upon the maintenance of a favorable epidemiological scenario.
On their website, park authorities also encourage people to get vaccinated prior to visiting.
Though Optional, Unvaccinated Guests Are Still Advised To Wear Face Masks
While all guests are welcome to stroll the parks mask less, Disney continues to recommend mask usage for those who are not fully vaccinated, mainly in indoor venues and ‘enclosed public transportation’ in the vicinities. It is worth remarking that, despite the recommendation, masks have become optional.
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