Will WDW lift mask mandate?

[Dsny4fun]

I believe they will start to ease up on mask requirements, summer maybe early fall to just wearing them inside and I believe the mask requirement will be completely gone by Jan 2022. The great thing is that those who feel safer wearing a mask will be able to continue to do so.

 

[LSUmiss]

I think it’ll start with unofficial relaxed policies like reports of it not being enforced.

 

[StageTek]

Even though Orange County is lifting their mask mandate doesn't mean businesses will. Stores, restaurants, fast food places, hair cutters will keep their mask and distancing policy. So will WDW.

 

[jlwhitney]

I think it’ll start with unofficial relaxed policies like reports of it not being enforced.

I agree with this also.

 

[Missingmypooh]

This is just wrong (and not just your Minnie Van statement). I suggest you spend some time looking at how vaccines work. As for the COVID-19 vaccines, this bit of speculation has been repeated frequently because, rightfully so, officials have remained cautious in the absence of real world data. Fortunately Israel - who has among the highest vaccinations rates in the world - now has data to start to answer this question. Two Israeli studies have found that the Pfizer vaccine greatly reduces virus transmission:

https://www.reuters.com/article/hea...19-vaccine-reduces-transmission-idUSKBN2AJ08J
If you want to follow the most up to date science regarding COVID vaccines, look at the Israeli studies. They have the data.

With science, speculation is worthless, data is the only standard.

Dr. Fauci, February 21,2021

“Conceivable that you can get protected from symptomatic infection because your vaccinated and still have the virus infect you without you knowing it, and have virus in your nasal pharynx. Which means that you could theoretically and maybe practically transmit the virus even though your not sick and you’ve been vaccinated.”

Start at the 11 minute mark for context, this quote is at the 12 minute mark. Dr Fauci fireside covid chat

Great interview if you’ve got 20 minutes- really kicks off around 5 minutes and a good listen through the 30 minute mark.

all this to say, the studies aren’t conclusive enough for Dr. Fauci yet- and it would be *potentially catastrophic * to make early assumptions otherwise. I think that’s what Disney is trying to avoid. Being labeled a grandma killer if we find out that the vaccine isn’t as effective in certain situations. What a PR nightmare.

 

[jenjersnap]

Haven’t the CM unions stipulated masks on guests? So, that will have to be negotiated first, right?

I think social distancing and capacity restrictions in will be relaxed first to allow them to cram more people in, masks dropped later when kids can be vaccinated.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I don’t think mask mandates will lift until children can be vaccinated. While most children have a mild or a symptomatic case of COVID, enough have serious cases that Disney is not going to put one of their key demographics at risk.

 

[KayMichigan]

As long as we have stuff like the public mask burning in Idaho, showing people who simply refuse to do what it takes to get this virus under control, the virus will continue to spread and we'll need masks. Especially now that there are variants emerging that are many times more contagious than before.

 

[chasgeese]

Haven’t the CM unions stipulated masks on guests? So, that will have to be negotiated first, right?

I think social distancing and capacity restrictions in will be relaxed first to allow them to cram more people in, masks dropped later when kids can be vaccinated.

I agree that capacity restrictions will be lifted before mask rules. They aren’t going to want to let the parks get more crowded without mask rules in place. I also think there are going to have be effective vaccines widely distributed to enough kids before they cut the mask rules. Kids make up too large a percentage of WDW guests for them to pull masks before then.

Also, I think even more important than vaccination rates and access is that transmission rates significantly drop and that there aren’t any significant spikes. Essentially, Disney is going to do everything in its power to make sure it’s not a transmission vector, even if that means maintaining mask rules longer than CDC or local governments require.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Will they stop the requirement as soon as Orange County does, or will they wait a few more weeks?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

we already decided we'll rent a car and do a split stay with Universal, or all nights at Universal. Whether or not we did any days at Universal or SeaWorld was always dependent on whether we had a car, but with our favourite resort perks gone now we're going over to the dark side and checking out their hotels too.

We are doing Universal next trip too - first time I will be there in 21 years!

We are just planning on a car service from MCO to Understand versal and then from Universal to Disney. To avoid parking cost and cost of rental - though having a car is nice!

 

[starry_solo]

I am cautiously optimistic that it will be lifted by Spring 2022

 

[RangerPooh]

Even if Disney decided to keep the mask mandate longer than other parks, that won’t stop people from visiting their parks. Sure some will say that they will not go until it’s no longer required, but there’ll be others ready to visit with masks in hand.

 

[marikujawa]

I don’t think mask mandates will lift until children can be vaccinated. While most children have a mild or a symptomatic case of COVID, enough have serious cases that Disney is not going to put one of their key demographics at risk.

Mask mandates are being lifted now despite a small percentage of the population being vaccinated. More and more evidence is coming out to show that vaccines prevent both illness and transmission of the virus. Right now the masks and social distancing are actually helping to keep demand down, and Disney’s okay with it because of capacity limits. But when Disney wants the crowds back, the restrictions will need to be relaxed.

If enough adults are vaccinated to make transmission of the virus highly unlikely, Disney will lift the mask mandates. Anything is possible I guess, but I highly doubt they will wait for children to be vaccinated. The only way to ensure complete safety from the virus would be a vaccination requirement, and I doubt that will happen.

 

[jlwhitney]

Even if Disney decided to keep the mask mandate longer than other parks, that won’t stop people from visiting their parks. Sure some will say that they will not go until it’s no longer required, but there’ll be others ready to visit with masks in hand.

It will get harder when Disney remains the only place requiring them especially outdoors. More and more people are waiting till masks go away to go places and come summer they will be going where the restrictions are less and better value of their money.

 

[charmed59]

I think they will drop masks when we hit herd immunity. However, if herd immunity is 75-80%, I’m not sure we can reach that without vaccinating at least some children under the age of 16.

 

[Eric Smith]

Haven’t the CM unions stipulated masks on guests? So, that will have to be negotiated first, right?

I think social distancing and capacity restrictions in will be relaxed first to allow them to cram more people in, masks dropped later when kids can be vaccinated.

Yes, that was part of the reopening agreement

 

[jlwhitney]

There is another facet that isn’t being discussed....cast members. Many of them want to stop wearing them too especially as more and more get vaccinated. It’s reasonable that by fall all cast members can be vaccinated if they choose if not sooner. A lot of these rules are about keeping their employees safe. It’s pretty proven now that it’s gonna be very hard to ever trace an outbreak back to the theme park.

There very well could be a push to reduce masks to at least indoors and in line by vaccinated cast members.

 

[Eric Smith]

There is another facet that isn’t being discussed....cast members. Many of them want to stop wearing them too especially as more and more get vaccinated. It’s reasonable that by fall all cast members can be vaccinated if they choose if not sooner. A lot of these rules are about keeping their employees safe. It’s pretty proven now that it’s gonna be very hard to ever trace an outbreak back to the theme park.

There very well could be a push to reduce masks to at least indoors and in line by vaccinated cast members.

I don’t think you can declare that “many cast members want to stop wearing masks”. I’m sure there are some that do, but I’m also sure that there are some that want to make sure everyone keeps wearing masks. We don’t know how many are on either side. That doesn’t matter though as the union pushed for Disney to make everyone wear guests as a condition of reopening. Until the union changes its mind, nothing is going to happen.

 

[andyman8]

There is another facet that isn’t being discussed....cast members. Many of them want to stop wearing them too especially as more and more get vaccinated. It’s reasonable that by fall all cast members can be vaccinated if they choose if not sooner. A lot of these rules are about keeping their employees safe. It’s pretty proven now that it’s gonna be very hard to ever trace an outbreak back to the theme park.

There very well could be a push to reduce masks to at least indoors and in line by vaccinated cast members.

I have quite a few friends who are CMs, and while nobody enjoys wearing a mask (especially in the Florida heat), every one has articulated to me — in some way — that the mask is the thing that has made them feel comfortable returning to a workplace where they encounter thousands of Guests an hour. The majority of front-line CMs are also younger, so unless theme park workers receive early access to the vaccine in FL, they would be at the end of the line for vaccines.

For the WDW mask requirement to be lifted, the OC mandate must be lifted (county officials are saying they won’t consider until the summer at least), other businesses have to lift theirs (Disney is not going first), and a new agreement must be reached with all of the various unions that represent Disney CMs. That’s a lot of hurdles to clear before any change is made to WDW’s mask policy, let alone removing the policy altogether.