With vaccinations across the country keeping COVID-19 in check, Disney is cautiously transitioning into a more comfortable and enjoyable place to be. Disney created many new safety measures that they are now repealing. If you plan to visit within the next year, here are the Disney World updates you should know about for your upcoming trip.
Updated COVID News for Walt Disney World
Masks
Disney no longer requires you to wear a mask in the outdoor common areas of the parks. For the longest time, Disney strictly enforced their mask policy, even updating it as guests found loopholes in the print. Relaxation Stations reserved the only space for removing your mask outside of designated dining locations which slowly expanded as guests became more comfortable with the risk. No longer does Disney deem masks necessary unless you are in a theater, a vehicle, or another indoor space. They took down some relaxation stations already.
Social Distancing
Social distancing and other contactless safety measures such as plexiglass dividers are leaving as well. The plexiglass dividers were among the safety measures of more dubious benefit as finger smudges regularly adorned them. A visual reminder of contamination seen and unseen in the park queues and attractions. Queues are returning to normal. However, some temporary social distancing measures remain as Disney transitions out of its current state.
Temperature Checks
As COVID continues to be a factor in public places, particularly among the unvaccinated, the responsibility remains with guests to stay away if they have symptoms. However, Disney no longer includes temperature checks among its existing safety measures.
Closed…
While Disney always has the potential to close down an attraction unexpectedly for a number of reasons, there are also regularly scheduled closures. Your trip may be impacted by either. Right now the refurbishment schedule has a variety of unavailable attractions. We expected some Disney World updates, such as the Hall of Presidents. Others come as a minor shock. You may experience these closures upon your arrival.
In the Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closes for about a week from June 7-12. The Baby Care Center remains closed until fall. Among closures with no return date determined is the Walt Disney World Railroad which remains parked at the Town Square Station.
Epcot’s Baby Center won’t open until Fall 2021. There are also a number of pertinent closures since 2019 as Epcot continues to get its updates in the center of Future World. Currently, Epcot is the easiest park to gain admission to through Park Pass.
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney Hollywood Studios continue transportation closures. Currently, the Magic Kingdom monorail has canceled stops at the Polynesian during construction at the resort. The Epcot line remains closed until further notice. Rumor has it the monorails will soon be replaced by a new fleet. Early this month the latest monorail incident caused many hours of delay for guests.
The Skyliner, which transports guests from Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Disney Riviera Resort among others will be closed in 2022 from Jan 23-28. The Skyliner also had an incident recently when two gondolas collided. The accident shattered glass. According to Instagrammer Next Stop Main Street, the gondolas appeared empty.
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