Region:
USA
Category:
Tourism

Florida officials discuss Disney World, Universal's reopening guidelines

  • Florida officials discuss Disney World, Universal's reopening guidelines
    Florida officials discuss Disney World, Universal's reopening guidelines
Region:
USA
Category:
Tourism
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A regional task force has laid out guidelines for the world-famous, family-friendly Orlando resort to eventually open for business after shutting down last month due to COVID-19, announcing the park would only run at 50-percent capacity with strict social distancing rules

 

Officials in Florida said Disney World could reopen the Magic Kingdom as early as June after a lengthy coronavirus lockdown — but with half as much glitter and magic, according to reports.

A regional task force has laid out guidelines for the world-famous, family-friendly Orlando resort to eventually open for business after shutting down last month due to COVID-19, announcing the park would only run at 50-percent capacity with strict social distancing rules, ABC-TV reported.

The restrictions will make Main Street USA a lot less crowded and keep Mickey and friends at arm’s length from kids.

Park workers will have to wear face masks and have their temperature taken, and guests in the park’s long queues will have to stand six feet apart, according to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, a 44-member board appointed to plan the county’s eventual return to normalcy.

Mayor Jerry Demings has not announced a date for the reopening but has said it’s more likely to be in June than May.

A task force appointed by officials in Orange County, Fla., has developed a preliminary set of guidelines for the phased reopening of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resorts, among other theme parks, when they eventually resume operations.

The Orange County Economic Task Force, which was created on April 17 to oversee the county’s approach to reopening business, met virtually on Tuesday afternoon to discuss their recommendations, which would apply to both larger theme parks, such as Disney World, Universal and Sea World, as well as smaller attractions.

The Orange County Ecomonic Task Force discussed guidelines for Walt Disney World, among other large theme parks, for when it reopens following the pandemic.

Among the recommendations, the task force developed a number of both “guidelines” and “mandates,” including:

Guidelines:

“Tape marking[s] of six feet apart in ride/attraction queues”
“Staff to regularly wipe down surfaces at random”
Mandates:

“All employees required to wear face masks”
“Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles”
“Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit”
“Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)”
“All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home”
“Wipe down of all railings and surfaces regularly”