Tag: COVID-19

  • CDC Approves Disney Cruise Line for Test Sailing in June

    CDC Approves Disney Cruise Line for Test Sailing in June

    Disney Cruise Line says it’s been granted CDC approval to conduct test cruises.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the cruise line’s request to conduct a two-night simulation cruise on June 29 on the Disney Dream departing from Port Canaveral.

    “We’re very excited and ready to welcome back the iconic Disney ships to their home at Port Canaveral,” Port CEO Captain John Murray said.

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the no-sail order. The CDC is set to let cruises sail again if 98% of the crew and 95% of passengers are vaccinated and ships take other measures to limit the risk of transmitting the virus.

    DeSantis and industry leaders argued this spring that with widespread testing and vaccines becoming more available, the danger is now no worse than air and train travel, which are open. Cruising has resumed with restrictions and protocols in much of the world with the industry leaders saying there have been no new outbreaks tied to their ships.

  • Disney World Cutting Back on Physical Distancing

    Disney World Cutting Back on Physical Distancing

    Restrictions designed to fight spread of Covid-19 are loosening up at Disney World as more Americans get vaccinated and coronavirus cases fall.

    The latest update came Wednesday from Disney on physical distancing.

    Disney disclosed in a message on its app that it plans to start limiting physical distancing to three feet in some areas of the parks, although six feet of space would still be maintained in restaurants and shops. The message, which said the changes were “gradual,” did not mention ride lines.

    Disney’s move comes after both Universal and SeaWorld have already cut physical distancing from six to three feet in some areas.

    When it comes to temperature checks to allow visitors to enter, all three major parks, Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, either have already eliminated them or are planning to do so soon.

    The company has announced on its website that it would be phasing out on-site temperature screenings for cast members starting May 8 and for guests on May 16.

    “Since reopening, we have considered guidance from public health authorities, government agencies, and our own team of health and safety experts as we assess and update health and safety measures to help prevent the spread of Covid-19,” Disney said in a statement.

  • Disney World Keeping Mask Requirement After Florida Gov. Suspends Remaining Covid Restrictions

    Disney World Keeping Mask Requirement After Florida Gov. Suspends Remaining Covid Restrictions

    Following new legislation signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that suspended all remaining local government COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, including mask requirements, Disney World theme parks are now reevaluating their current COVID-19 safety guidelines.

    DeSantis issued two new executive orders “suspending all local emergency orders until July 1, 2021, at which point local orders will be permanently invalidated,” the governor’s office said in a statement Monday.

    According to a pop-up message on the My Disney Experience mobile app, Disney World said: “We are aware of the state of Florida’s plans announced today to modify COVID-19 guidelines. We will evaluate this latest guidance and maintain our current health and safety measures at this time, including face covering requirements.” Take a look below:

    The pop-up message read: “We will continue to make thoughtful adjustments to our policy. As COVID-19 vaccines become available, we encourage people to become vaccinated.”

    Private businesses, such as theme parks and hospitals, are still able to impose their restrictions.

  • Disney World Workers Spat on & Harassed by Guests While Enforcing COVID Safety Rules According to Report

    Disney World Workers Spat on & Harassed by Guests While Enforcing COVID Safety Rules According to Report

    While trying to enforce safety protocols at Disney World durring the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney World cast members have reported being spat on, yelled at, and pushed by guests.

    In a report published by the Orlando Sentinel, a Disney security guard that was stationed at Disney’s Contemporary Resort hotel detailed the incident when they reminded a guest to put their mask on before walking into the building.

    The male guest — who was not identified by name by the publication — reportedly told the guard, “I’m a guest,” and asked to be left alone, before he allegedly spat at the guard with some of his saliva landing on the guard’s forehead.

    The outlet added that the man then “hurried inside the hotel” where he entered an elevator bank and disappeared. He was unable to be identified following the incident.

    “There’s never a day when I don’t have a story,” another employee, who took on a new role enforcing mask rules in the Disney Springs parking garages after her previous job was terminated, told the Sentinel. “I cried the first week I started. It was not a good time at all. Imagine going to work every single day where people ridicule you.”

    “I’ve had a guest literally get right up in my face and literally curse me out,” she added to the publication. “If I honestly didn’t have good coworkers, I would have already quit by now.”

    At the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, guests need to comply with a series of safety protocols during their stay, including wearing an approved face mask at the resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom — as well as its resort hotels and Disney Springs.

    Since reopening, the resort has instituted strict new health and safety protocol, including mandatory mask-wearing, temperature checks upon entry, cashless payments, remote ordering at restaurants, limited capacity at parks and socially distanced lines, shopping and dining. They’ve also enacted an “enhanced” cleaning and sanitation regimen.

    Since then, some restrictions have been reduced, such as not spacing out guests on certain rides, while others have been tightened, namely, the required wearing of masks when not actively eating or drinking, even when seated in a dining location.

  • Disney World will Still Require Masks for Vaccinated Guests

    Disney World will Still Require Masks for Vaccinated Guests

    Friday, Disney World updated its mask policy to specify that guests who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are still required to wear a mask.

    “Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) and Cast Members, including those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine,” Disney World’s website now states.

    “Please bring your own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when dining or swimming,” the website reads. “You may remove your face covering while actively eating or drinking, but you must be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing.”

    The theme park’s requirement is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance, which states that people who have gotten two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, whether from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, still need to avoid close contact with others and wear a mask.

    The vaccine helps protect the patient from getting COVID-19, but it is not yet clear whether vaccination will protect people from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to other people, according to the CDC.