Things were very different in Disney World when the parks reopened in 2020.
Face Covering Sign in Galaxy’s Edge
Although it was almost four years ago, most who visited during that time will never forget having to wear a mask everywhere (both indoors and outdoors), as well as what it was like to stand in line six feet away from the person in front of you (something we kind of miss). There were temperature checks at the gates, too. So, if you’ve been keeping up with the latest news, you might know there’s been an uptick in COVID-19 infections in the U.S. again. So should you be worried about how that could affect Disney World?
According to AP News, more hospitals are now requiring masks right now due to a surge in both the flu and COVID-19. In New York City, mask mandates have been reinstated for all of the city’s 11 hospitals. Some hospitals in Los Angeles and Massachusetts have also started requiring masks, as other hospitals have reinstated mask rules for employees.
Over the past few weeks, both flu and COVID-19 cases have been going up, with high levels of flu symptoms being reported in 31 states before Christmas. Many health officials believe cases will also grow in January.
©Disney
However, there is some good news. Cases of both flu and COVID-19 are expected to peak by the end of the month and then decrease. The flu that’s going around is mostly caused by a less deadly strain than other versions, while current flu vaccinations seem to be working well with this particular strain.
Together Again Face Masks
“I don’t think it’s going to be overwhelming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. He deemed the current season “moderately severe.”
Cases of COVID-19 are causing more severe illness than the flu, but the increase in cases hasn’t been rising as much. A new variant, JN.1, has emerged, though, and health officials are keeping an eye on it. Before Christmas, it accounted for 44% of new COVID-19 cases. Although the variant may spread easier, there is no proof so far that it is any more severe than previous variants, and cases are responding well to vaccines and antiviral medications.
Hand Sanitizer at the Rainforest Cafe
So will this affect Disney World? Well, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be seeing those signs anytime soon requiring visitors to wear a mask, and we doubt we’ll have to do temperature checks again, so it will probably just be business as usual throughout the resort. However, if you DO get sick, you are urged to wear a mask to prevent spreading illnesses to other people.
Other than that, we can recommend washing your hands with soap and water when you can and keeping hand sanitizer in your park bag.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
7 Perks That Ended With COVID and Never Returned to Disney World
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Do you think Disney World would ever reinstate COVID-19 safety measures again? Let us know in the comments!
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JN.1 now accounts for well over 60% of US cases. Pediatric hospitals are at their limits with kids sick with flu, RSV and COVID-19. We’re seeing more admissions in adults for COVID, most of which are not up to date on vaccines or boosters.
Perhaps the BEST way to prepare is to get vaccinated (if not already) and boosted if vaccinated, and be reasonably assured that, if you get infected, it will be relatively mild.
Alsom when traveling, consider wearing a well-fitting and good quality ,ask, KN95 or N95 when you’re in congregate setting; inside airports and restaurants, when boarding and deplaning. In flight, engineering experts are pretty confident that the rapid air exchange is adequate to keep most people safe, but if that guy in the next seat is coughing, keep your mask on.
Outdoors, there’s lower risk of transmission because you disperse the virus load into a larger volume of air, but when you’re packed in waiting for a ride, having a mask might be a good idea.
COVID is contagious before symptoms appear and at least 20% of those infected don’t perceive they’re ill (asymptomatic). That said, every time you get infected, your chances of getting Long-COVID increase. Right now, there’s consensus that Long-COVID exists, but reliable biomarkers we can test for have not been identified. Lots of research is going into the ongoing pandemic (there are disagreements among credible experts as to whether we’re in pandemic or endemic conditions, but not even Disney Magic will resolve that today) to learn more about the virus, its mutation patterns, and preventive and therapeutic measures.
Currently we rely on waste water analysis to get some idea of the potential number of cases, because most of the testing infrastructure has been dismantled. The majority of direct testing for COVID has become self-administered home tests, which have some limitations too many people don’t understand, and generally, those test results are not tabulated anywhere. The tests, limitations and all, are useful but we have to understand how they work. Plenty of online detail in regard to these tests, so I won’t write more at this time.
I doubt we’ll see a return to mandatory masking, but having one available makes good sense to me. And test (twice!) before you leave for vacation, and after possible exposure test twice (36 hours apart), especially if you start to have symptoms of an influenza-like illness.
We went over the holidays. Four of the 13 people in our group came down with Covid, one seriously. When we went as a group in 2021 when masks were required, no one got sick. Not saying Covid was all around Disney, but at the same time, I kind of wished we had masked up this trip, we heard lots of coughing in lines and on rides. Stay safe!!!
Take care of yourselves folks. Covid sucks, had it twice. Have it now and going on 18 days with this nasty virus. After many vaccines, always masking, just stay safe and try not to get it. This strain is worse than the first one. I was only sick for a week the first time.
No!
Everyone has an opinion so obviously people disagree but, in my opinion, based on discussions with several medical professionals in my family I think Covid is just a flu! It’s not the kiss of death the CDC wanted us to believe. People die from the flu. I WILL NOT BE SUBJECTED TO THE BS LIKE LAST TIME!!! You do what you are comfortable with but DO NOT expect me to go along with the hype!!!
You are, of course, entitled to your opinions. I, for one, would either wish COVID had never crossed over into the human population or would disappear like SARS and MERS did in a short time. I’ve spent the last 4 years (or, it’ll be 4 years on 18 JAN) studying this disease from an infectious disease and epidemiology standpoint. My conclusions are that it’s at least 4 times as deadly as influenza on a year over year basis. I’d much prefer to not be hampered when I’m visiting but I do practice what I preach. That means I do evaluate the setting and use the tools appropriately when I consider the risk high. At this stage, that’s all I think we can ask anyone to do, and if you evaluate the risk as low, then you should go with that decision.
I think, if I remember correctly, the flu strain(s) today are a long lost relative of Spanish flu (circa 1918?) . Which was worse than C-19. If you are worried about C-19 there are two choices you can make: 1)don’t go or 2) Go, and wear your mask if that makes you feel safe. Remember, a majority of normal everyday people don’t know how to wear the mask properly anyway! And I would think a majority would not voluntarily wear masks now.