Walt Disney World has announced that masks will be optional for vaccinated guests in both indoor and outdoor locations starting later this week, signaling a major change in their mask policy. The policy change will go into effect on February 17th, reversing a policy that went into effect in August 2021 with the delta variant surge. Face coverings will still be required by all Guests on enclosed Disney transportation, including buses, monorails, and the Skyliner, which is in line with a CDC order requiring face coverings on public transportation. The change comes as COVID-19 cases have dipped over the past 2 weeks. Per the CDC, the rolling 7-day average of COVID-19 cases has more than halved since the beginning of the month – the 7-day average of cases was 152,695 as if yesterday compared to 439,422 as of February 1st.
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Masks have been a constant sight at Disney World since the theme park’s reopening in 2020 during the early days of the pandemic. Disney briefly allowed for masks to be optional at indoor and outdoor locations starting in June 2021, but reversed that decision a month later during a rise in COVID-19 cases nationwide. Since August 2021, face masks have been required at all indoor locations regardless of vaccination status, but masks were optional outdoors. The mask requirements were not required for guests under 2 years of age.
Over the past few months, Disney World has ramped up its return to normalcy by removing some protective barriers and bringing back live shows and entertainment to the park. Not everything is back though – events like Phantasmic are still missing from Walt Disney World, although a return is expected at some point in 2022. And while some fan-favorite parts of the park have returned, there are still some notable differences. For instance, character meet-and-greets returned to Disney World last fall, but guests are still required to socially distance from the characters.
