In an update late last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Orange County Florida now falls under the “moderate” tier of COVID-19 transmission. This update means that the CDC no longer recommends that all individuals wear a face covering indoors regardless of vaccination status. Instead, the new guidance only recommends that unvaccinated people wear a mask in public, indoor settings. Here’s a look at the latest recommendations, along with updated data for the county.
Florida is the only state in the nation with a “moderate” level of community transmission according to the CDC.
Last week, face masks became optional for fully vaccinated Cast Members in indoor, backstage areas. Disney World has not made any announcements or changes to its official face mask policy for guests as of publish time. The official policy still reads:
Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) in all indoor locations, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all indoor attractions and indoor queues and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings are optional for Guests in outdoor areas.
Back in June, Disney World made face masks optional for fully vaccinated guests in indoor spaces, which was in line with CDC policy at the time. By late July, the guidance from the CDC changed and so did Walt Disney World policy. Since late July, all guests have been required to wear a face mask indoors regardless of their vaccination status.
Now, with CDC guidance changing once again, there are no local or national policies from health officials suggesting that Disney World have a face mask policy for fully vaccinated individuals indoors. Whether or not Disney will act on this new change remains to be seen, especially with cases trending upwards in the nation since late October. Forecasts call for a relatively stable case rate trend through the end of the year.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!