Thousands pack Disney World before park closes amid coronavirus
Thousands of people packed Disney World for the final visiting hours before the park closes for the remainder of the month; Phil Keating reports from Orlando on the tourism impact.
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A task force appointed by officials in Orange County, Fla., has developed a preliminary set of guidelines for the phased reopening of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resorts, among other theme parks, when they eventually resume operations.
ANALYST: DISNEY WORLD WILL HAVE A TOUGHER TIME REOPENING THAN DISNEYLAND, AND HERE'S WHY
The Orange County Economic Task Force, which was created on April 17 to oversee the county’s approach to reopening business, met virtually on Tuesday afternoon to discuss their recommendations, which would apply to both larger theme parks, such as Disney World, Universal and Sea World, as well as smaller attractions.
The Orange County Ecomonic Task Force discussed guidelines for Walt Disney World, among other large theme parks, for when it reopens following the pandemic (Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
Among the recommendations, the task force developed a number of both “guidelines” and “mandates,” including:
Guidelines:
- “Tape marking[s] of six feet apart in ride/attraction queues”
- “Staff to regularly wipe down surfaces at random”
Mandates:
- “All employees required to wear face masks”
- “Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles”
- “Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit”
- “Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)”
- “All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home”
- “Wipe down of all railings and surfaces regularly”
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The task force is also mandating a two-phased reopening plan. In Phase 1, the parks would only be able to operate at 50-percent capacity. In Phase 2, parks would be allowed to operate at 75-percent capacity.
The group also recommended that parks discourage anyone 65 or older from visiting the park during both phases.
Currently, however, the task force did not reveal a time frame for each phase of reopening.
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“I’m not sure how that’s going to be governed, but these are our recommendations,” said Chuck Whittall, the president of Unicorp National Development, who presided over the meeting.
Officials had said that the bigger theme parks, ultimately, would have the final authority on creating their own guidelines for operation, according to Fox 35 Orlando.
A representative for the task force told Fox News that the recommendations discussed in the meeting were only "preliminary working guidelines and mandates" that the task force is considering.
Attendees of the virtual meeting also included representatives from major theme parks, as well as restaurant associations, small businesses and the local YMCA. In addition, the discussions touched on recommendations for other sectors of business, including hospitality, restaurants, fitness centers and barber shops, among others.
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News of the task force’s guidelines comes amid scrutiny over Disney World’s reopening, with one analyst predicting that Disney World will have a tougher time than Disneyland, pointing to the former’s higher number of out-of-state visitors.