Due to skyrocketing cases of COVID-19 cases in the United States, caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, Disney announced guests and Cast Members will once again be required to wear masks in all indoor locations, regardless of vaccination status.
Disney stated that beginning 30 July, face coverings will be “required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail, and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas.”
The Walt Disney World website states, “Beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas.”
Over on the Disneyland website, the park informed guests, “The State of California strongly recommends that all Guests be fully vaccinated or receive a negative COVID-19 test prior to entering the Disneyland Resort. Beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors, including on many attractions and in enclosed transportation vehicles, regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas.”
After a recent recommendation from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that all individuals should wear a mask indoors, vaccinated or not, especially in areas where there is “substantial and high transmission” of COVID-19. According to the county-level CDC tracker, more than 2,000 U.S. counties, or 63% of all counties, are experiencing substantial or high transmission.
As of 26 July 2021, Orange County in Florida, where Walt Disney World is located, is currently under a high level of transmission, and Orange County in California, where Disneyland is located is under a substantial level.
According to the CDC Director, most of the infections occurring in the United States are happening in those who remain unvaccinated.
Yesterday Orange County [Florida] Mayor Jerry Demings declared a state of emergency as new cases skyrocketed to a single-day high. Contrary to what some people have declared, the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. In fact, it never was over as states relaxed rules and most people acted as if it was in the last couple of months.
Mayor Demings urged everyone – residents and visitors alike – to wear masks indoors again. Demings stopped short of making it mandatory as the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, recently signed a bill and executive order that immediately terminates all local Covid-19 emergency orders.
According to the Associated Press [AP], this past Wednesday Governor DeSantis mocked the new CDC recommendations “before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City.”
The AP reports that at least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination.
Recently, the United Kingdom has been in the middle of a COVID variant spike, but they are slowly seeing a decline in cases. Earlier this week, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottleib said he believes the rising variant cases in the United States to continue for another couple of weeks before any decline begins.
“If the U.K. is turning the corner, it’s a pretty good indication that maybe we’re further into this than we think,” said Dr. Gottleib on CNBC. “… maybe we’re two or three weeks away from starting to see our own plateau here in the United States.”
Dr. Gottleib did caution that as cases begin to decline there may be another spike due to students returning back to school.
CNBC reporter Kevin Stankiewicz reports, “According to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data, the weekly average of new daily Covid infections in the U.S. is nearly 52,000. That’s up 61% from one week ago. As recently as July 5, the nation’s seven-day average of new daily infections was just below 12,000.”
