The use of masks is now optional in Disney parks and hotels

The Walt Disney World company no longer mandates the use of masks for its employees and visitors to the theme parks and hotels they own in central Florida.

While they still recommend wearing masks, they will no longer require it, as is the case on airplanes at this time. The recommendation is particularly strong for those tourists who are not vaccinated against COVID 19, especially when they are in closed spaces.

“It is recommended that visitors who are not vaccinated continue to wear masks, especially in enclosed spaces such as some of our games, theaters and closed means of transport,” the official Disney Parks website reads.

Since last February, parks had announced that wearing masks was optional for those who were vaccinated against the coronavirus, a measure that was based on an honor system since no one required proof of vaccination from visitors.

The only place where they mandatorily required the use of masks for all visitors was on the monorail that connects some of their hotels to parks and closed buses. That demand was based on the federal mandate requiring the use of masks on public transportation, which was terminated this week following the order of a federal judge in the state of Florida.

Restaurants inside the parks and hotels never asked for proof of vaccination inside the parks. Disney in Orlando has been one of the first major entertainment centers in the country to open relatively normally operations after the first wave of pandemic shutdowns.

The other change that is taking place in Disney parks is that visitors will once again be able to meet, touch and take pictures with the characters from the films and cartoons. Since the parks reopened after the start of the pandemic, this traditional park activity had been limited by social distance.

The Tampa judge's order that repealed the federal mandate to wear masks on public transportation generated a ripple effect that led to many companies starting to relax their rules internally.

The Department of Justice indicated in the morning that they have no plans to appeal the federal order, which legally repeals the presidential decree, as long as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) does not indicate that there is a great risk in the relaxation of this rule.

At the moment there has been no official statement from the CDC, although the Biden administration has specified that they were not happy with the judge's order through a statement by Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.

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