Starting tomorrow, face masks will no longer be required in indoor locations for Walt Disney World guests who are fully vaccinated. Even for guests who are not fully vaccinated, there will be no way for Disney to enforce mask usage indoors as they will not be checking the vaccination status of their guests.
The change in policy breaks with the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which still lists Orange County Florida in the highest possible tier for community transmission of COVID-19. In the red tier, the CDC recommends that all people, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask in public indoor locations.
While there is no doubt that COVID-19 cases are dropping, Orange County has remained in the “high” red tier since the middle of December and is still experiencing a case rate more than 5x what the CDC says is required to move to the next lowest tier, which is the “substantial” tier. Cases are more than 10x what they should be to qualify for the “moderate” tier. The percent positive is only about 4% higher than it should be to enter the substantial tier.
Disney’s break with CDC recommendations is explained by the company as follows:
COVID‑19 has been a constantly evolving situation, and for nearly two years, we’ve been very intentional and gradual in our approach to COVID‑19 health and safety protocols. Given recent community trends and the availability of vaccines, we are positioned to responsibly adjust our health and safety protocols for fully vaccinated Guests.
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!