Disney World and Disneyland reversed their mask mandates this week. Following updated CDC guidelines, the Walt Disney Parks announced new COVID-19 restrictions for visitors and employees, reported The Hill.
- Starting Friday, July 30, masks will be required indoors for all park employees and all visitors, reported CNN.
- The requirements for masks or face coverings will apply to vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors, reported CNBC.
Here’s what’s changed for the Disney theme parks and why.
What are the new mask mandates at Disneyland and Disney World?
Walt Disney World Resort in California and Disneyland Resort in Florida will begin requiring all guests to wear masks or face covering indoors. This includes all indoor areas of the parks, buses, monorails and Skyliner transportation, per The Hill.
- Masks or face coverings will be required for all visitors age 2 and up, per CNN.
- Masks are still optional for guests in outdoor areas, reported The Hill.
The decision to reimplement mask mandates comes a month and a half after both parks lifted mask requirements for vaccinated visitors, reported The Hill.
Do vaccinated people need to wear a mask?
The new guidelines for wearing masks indoors at Disney World and Disneyland will apply “regardless of vaccination status,” according to Disney’s announcement.
- On Tuesday, the CDC recommended that vaccinated people should begin wearing masks indoors in areas of “high” or substantial” transmission, reported the Deseret News.
- Currently, about two-thirds of U.S. counties are seeing “high” or “substantial” transmission, per CNN.
Why did Disney begin requiring masks again?
COVID-19 cases have begun to surge across the U.S., partially driven by the delta variant, reported CNBC. Disney’s decision Wednesday to implement another mask mandate follows closely from the CDC’s update this week.
Orange County, California — home of Disney World — and Orange County, Florida — home of Disneyland — are both areas of “high” transmission, reported The Hill. In Orange County, Florida, the mayor declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday, saying the county was now in “crisis mode.”