As the situation with COVID-19 and vaccinations continues to develop, we have seen a number of updates announced about health and safety policies. The COVID-19 vaccine is fully available to adults and should become available to people under 16 soon. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated mask guidance for those who are fully vaccinated. Earlier we saw Universal Orlando relax their health & safety policies. Shortly thereafter, Disney’s CEO spoke about Disney’s upcoming changes in response. And now we have major news as Disney World updates health & safety requirements in their parks, resorts and at Disney Springs!
Temperature Checks
Orange County in Florida recently ruled that temperature checks were no longer necessary. Not soon after, Disney World announced that this change in safety requirements would be implemented at the Walt Disney World Resort. While Disney World continues to keep health and safety as its priority, guests will no longer be required to undergo temperature checks upon entering the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs. While it was originally announced that temperature checks would no longer be required as of May 16th, temperature checks already ended early last week.
Masks
Recently, Disney World slightly modified its mask requirements to allow guests to briefly take off their masks for photos. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their mask guidelines to indicate that fully vaccinated individuals can safely resume many activities indoors and outdoors without a mask, except in certain situations. Universal Orlando made significant changes to their mask policy. According to an update on the Disney World website, beginning May 15th, guests, regardless of their vaccination status, will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors, except in certain situations.
Disney noted “Face coverings are optional in outdoor common areas at Walt Disney World Resort, but are still required upon entering and throughout all attractions, theaters and transportation.” All guests will be required to wear masks at all indoor locations, “except when actively eating or drinking while stationary and maintaining appropriate physical distancing.” As noted above, guests will be required to wear their masks upon entering and throughout all attractions, in all theaters (including theater entrances), in all transportation (including transportation entrances), and in all indoor locations (including restaurants, except when actively eating or drinking while stationary). Face coverings will be optional in outdoor common areas and pool decks.
Social Distancing
Disney World has noted that they will be gradually reducing social distancing guidelines. Now we are starting to see some of those changes in the parks. Disney has a number of health & safety signs all around the parks. They may provide a general COVID-19 warning, advise guests about face coverings, or provide other information. Some of the health & safety reminders also include details about physical distancing. Previously, the signs advised guests to remain 6′ (2M) apart. Now we are seeing signs that no longer have the “6′ 2M” listed between the physically distanced individuals. Physical distancing is still encouraged in the signs, but the specification that 6 feet of distancing must be maintained is gone. As a reminder, social distancing continues to be required, although it now seems to be more of a suggestion or common courtesy.
Park Capacity
Disney CEO Bob Chapek hinted that park capacity at Disney World would increase very soon. These remarks came in response to the CDC’s newest recommendations which state that fully vaccinated individuals can now resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart. One of the indicators that show how much availability a particular park has is by looking at the Park Pass Reservation calendar. Recently, Park Pass availability for this week and beyond was limited. Availability has been added for every single date in the month of May from the 17th onward for guests staying at a Disney Resort. Several of these dates were completely filled across all four theme parks. The Park Pass Reservation calendar is similar for guests with Theme Park Tickets. Availability has not increased, however, for Annual Passholders.
You can see a full list of Walt Disney World health & safety guidelines here. Signs that the parks are returning somewhat back to normal are everywhere. Small things like closed trash can lids are happening every day. As encouraging as all these changes are, it remains to be seen if the progress will continue in this direction. These relaxed guidelines do not extend to the newly reopened Disneyland Resort in California. We have no information on when that might happen. For now, we can watch optimistically as Walt Disney World implements the changes. You can stay updated by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Let us know how you feel about the updates in the comments below.