Be our guest, with a few exceptions.
That appears to be the motto of the Disney World pandemic, as the beloved theme park struggles to keep visitors safe and socially aloof, while providing a fun and memorable experience after a partial reopening on July 11.
Some restaurants and attractions remain closed at the Walt Disney Co. DIS,
Orlando, Florida, for example, and guests can no longer hug and take selfies with costumed characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Guests should also check their temperatures before entering the park, and face masks are required at all times, except when a guest is actively eating or drinking.
Related:Will wearing a face mask protect you from COVID-19? It’s complicated. Here are the 5 biggest mask myths
The problem is, that culinary exception has created a mask loophole: Some guests were seen strolling through the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened without their masks while drinking drinks and nose pretzels. So the park has updated its mask policy to specify that guests are not to walk, eat or drink at the same time.
“You can remove the covering from your face while actively eating or drinking, but you must stand and maintain proper physical distance,” the revised guidelines read.
In addition, an EPCOT cast member told Walt Disney World News Today that “guests are asked to find a safe place six feet from other guests before removing their eating and drinking masks.”
The strictest rules of social distancing have been found with mixed reactions on Twitter TWTR,
and the Facebook owned FB,
Instagram Some critics complain that the health and safety measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have diminished the joy of visiting the happiest place on Earth. Others argue that this is an example of a violation of personal rights. “Dictating to customers that they cannot walk, eat or drink is absurd,” wrote one reader. “Are we ‘Nazi Germany’ now? Have all our freedoms been taken from us?
“There are no character encounters. No fireworks. There are no parades. You cannot walk, eat and drink, “tweeted another, who then asked what is” the point “of even going.
Others applauded the move, such as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times who has noted that guests use snacks as an excuse to remove their masks at neighboring Florida theme parks, Busch Gardens and SeaWorld. “Disney is with you friends, taking off your mask to eat and drink,” he tweeted.
Some guests backing the measure also said the updated policy makes them feel safer and also serves to better protect Disney park employees.
The new rule also revived debate over the reopening of theme parks, especially as coronavirus cases have continued to skyrocket in Florida. Disney World began receiving guests on July 11, the same day the state reported more than 15,000 new cases of COVID-19. CNN business editor Alexis Benveniste said at the time that “it feels like the beginning of a horror movie.” Meanwhile, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, postponed its reopening on July 17 because coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in its home state.
Read more:The beginning of a horror movie? Disney World slammed shut when doors reopened amid coronavirus cases
“Why are these parks open again?” asked a Twitter user after reading about the new eating and walking rule.
Some potential guests also noted that the stricter mask guidelines have given them another reason to delay returning to the theme park until the pandemic is under control and life returns to something akin to normal.
Disney heiress Abigail Disney, who does not have an operational role in the company, also questioned the decision to reopen the park that shares her name. “I am confused about how they think they can protect their guests and their employees,” she said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”.
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US increased to more than 3.8 million on Tuesday, with 54 states and territories showing an increase in the number of cases in the past 14 days, according to a New York tracker. Times.
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