Disneyland, Disney World reinstate indoor masks amid COVID rise

It’s the maskiest place on Earth.

In response to the nationwide resurgence in COVID cases, both California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World are reinstating their park-wide mask mandates. The policy comes just over a month after both parks dropped their PPE requirements due to then-dwindling infection rates.

“We are adapting our health and safety guidelines based on guidance from health and government officials,” the company announced Wednesday of the new PPE rules, the Orange County Register reported.

Starting Friday, July 30, both the Orlando and Anaheim resorts will require cast members and guests over age 2 to wear face coverings indoors “regardless of vaccination status,” per the initiative. PPE will not be required in outdoor common areas, per the measure.

Both California and Florida, where the parks are located, have experience a resurgence in COVID cases.
Both California and Florida, where the parks are located, have experienced a resurgence in COVID cases.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

The policy shift comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask rules in response to a nationwide uptick in coronavirus cases, especially the alarming new Delta variant of the disease. It now recommends that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of “high” or “substantial” risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Currently, Florida boasts more COVID cases than any other state, recording a mind-boggling average of 10,452 new cases each day over the past week alone, CNN reported Tuesday.

On Monday, the mayor of Florida’s Orange County — where Disney World and Universal Studios are located — warned at a press conference that the region is in “crisis mode” as cases surge.

“These numbers are extraordinary,” Mayor Jerry Demings warned. “We are seeing nearly 1,000 new cases in Orange County daily. Those are the numbers we saw at the highest peak last year.”

Masked guests inside the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA.
Masked guests inside the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

source: nypost.com