ORLANDO, Fla. — The first guidelines and mandates have been released for the reopening of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.
The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force announced its recommendations during a meeting on Tuesday. Both parks temporarily closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Right now, there is still no set date for when the parks will be able to open their doors.
The guidelines for reopening of the 'large' theme parks are:
- There must be tape marking off six feet of distance in attraction lines
- Staff will be required to regularly wipe down surfaces
- Staff who are 65 or older are encouraged to stay at home
There are also mandates for reopening that include the following:
- All employees are required to wear face masks
- There must be touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing and ride entry/exit
- Staff will have required temperature checks prior to their shift. If a staff member has a temperature of about 100.4, they will not be allowed to enter the park.
- All railings and surfaces must be wiped down after every use
Plus, when Disney World and Universal do open, they will likely only be allowed to do so up to a certain capacity.
Phase one for reopening the parks was recommended at 50% capacity while phase two was recommended at 75% capacity.
These guidelines and mandates are not necessarily how the state will choose to reopen the major theme parks in Orlando. At this time, they are just recommendations by the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force.
The task force also released its recommendations for other businesses including restaurants, small bars, hotels and theaters.
The state of Florida is also home to Busch Gardens in Tampa, Legoland Florida in Winter Park, as well as SeaWorld in the Orlando area.
In the meantime, Disney World is offering virtual behind-the-scenes tours of its parks and headquarters.