Universal Studios Florida Reopening: Characters Will Wear Masks for Socially Distant Meet-and-Greets

Universal Studios Florida is planning to reopen its gates at the end of the week, allowing guests into the park for the first time since it closed earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The park will look much different than it has before, with guests being required to wear masks at all times, temperature checks at the entrance, and socially distant lines implemented at attractions. That being said, Universal is still aiming to make the experience feel as close to normal as possible, which means things like character meet-and-greets will still exist.

Walt Disney World isn’t opening until July and the park has already stated that character interactions will be removed. Universal, however, is taking a different approach. Many of the character meet and greet will still exist, but the characters will be kept in areas separate from the guests. Additionally, the characters will be wearing masks. This allows for picture-taking and conversation to continue, without any of the contact.

Pictures of these new character interactions found their way online on Monday, when Universal opened up for employees. You can check them out in the tweet below.

As you can see, the characters are still present and still able to interact with guests, but it keeps everyone at a safe distance.

The reopening of Universal Studios Florida comes a couple of weeks after the limited reopening of Universal Orlando’s CityWalk. The shopping area implemented new procedures and guidelines when it opened back up on May 14th.

“We will begin limited operation of select venues at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk on Thursday, May 14 as we take the first steps toward reopening our destination,” Universal said in a statement at the time of CityWalk’s reopening. “The health and safety of our guests and team members remains our top priority and we are taking specific measures that include screening our guests and team members, social distancing and requiring everyone to wear a face covering. We will also be limiting capacity at venues and increasing our already-aggressive cleaning and disinfection procedures. Select venues are scheduled to open daily from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.”