As of today, Walt Disney World has reached an agreement with the various unions representing Cast Members on how to protect employees from COVID-19. Read on to see what safety precautions will be taken.
CNBC and the New York Times are reporting that the Service Trades Council Union, which represents thousands of Walt Disney World Cast Members, has come to an agreement with Walt Disney World leadership.
According to the STCU, the measures include various social distancing measures and include mandatory masks for all employees and guests.
Disney recently began selling masks on their shopDisney website, so if you have a trip to the parks coming up, you might want to take a look!
It is not surprising that Disney would require park visitors to practice social distancing and to wear masks to protect other guests and employees from their germs. It remains to be seen whether guests still have confidence visiting the Florida parks when they do open.
It was not immediately clear if guests will be asked to wear masks in the resort hotels.
There will also be plexiglass installed at cash registers and touchless transactions implemented. Guests will also be subject to temperature checks upon entering the parks.
In addition to measures the company will take to protect employees from contracting coronavirus, they also agreed to provide paid sick leave to any employee who becomes infected with COVID-19 to allow them time to appropriately quarantine.
There will also be additional monthly safety meetings conducted to keep Cast Members up to date with best practices. Additional cleaning and sanitizing will also be implemented.
The Service Trades Council Union represents around 43,000 workers at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista, Florida will be opening on May 20, but only third party owned restaurants and shops will be available for the first week. Many of the above measures will also be implemented when Disney Springs reopens.
Disneyland Park in California will remain closed for the foreseeable future and no new information was available regarding steps they have taken to begin welcoming guests again.
Are you surprised that Disney World will require masks? Will that positively or negatively impact your decision to visit when they reopen? Let us know in the comments on Facebook and let’s keep the conversation going in our friendly Facebook crew!
-Rebecca W Davis
Dave you know Disney doesnt care what we think! We complain about the price increases all the time but they just increase more!
The rules will relax if people tell Disney the reason they’re canceling is the face mask requirement. Hit them where it hurts- their money.
Here’s how I see it: it’s estimated that Disney is losing $30 million a day from having the parks closed.
In order to get the parks opened, they need cast members to come back to work. In order to protect cast members they have agreed to this arrangement with the union.
If I’m a Disney executive, my goal is to get the parks open so I can stop bleeding cash. This gets the parks open. They already know attendance will be down bc of coronavirus. We will see how bad it is with the mask policy in place, but there are a lot of people who appreciate the protection that comes from being in a group of masked people vs unmasked people. So I don’t see them changing it due to loss of revenue. They will lose even more revenue if they aren’t taking steps to make gathering safer.
Thanks for reading! Hopefully this nasty virus is gone soon and we can all resume our regular way of life. Me? I’m ordering a cooling towel mask and soldiering on.
I have the same question the length of time this agreement is in place. I understand the mask and I understand it’s contagious. What I don’t understand is “use anything for a mask”, it’s not about safety anymore it’s about compliance.
I agree that using just anything won’t do much for the wearer, but even a cloth layer over a guest’s nose and mouth should keep THEIR germs from spraying all over me, and in that will just have to be good enough I suppose.
Thanks for reading. I hope the virus is gone soon or a vaccine is produced next year and we can ditch the masks!
Since they are requiring masks, I sure hope they mandate N95 masks, because that is the only face covering that will prevent people from spreading and/or recieving the virus!
The masks they are requiring aren’t meant to protect the wearer, they are meant to keep each person’s germs to themselves. Thanks for reading!
Do they say how this will continue or if/when it will be revised? I can understand temporarily, but sure hope this is not a permanent requirement! Not that’s its’ now, but there comes a point in time when people at “high” risk should be taking extensive measures to protect themselves, while others go back to “normal”. I have airline tickets booked for September, but I will surely go somewhere else if this is still required at that time. As a healthcare provider, I wear a mask all day, everyday at work. Being forced to wear a mask my entire vacation is not something I will spend $10K+ to do on vacation. Furthermore, people who are overly concerned with the virus, shouldn’t be going to the busiest theme parks in the world anyway!!!
I agree with not requiring masks. We also have a disabled grandson and a 2 year old granddaughter who will not keep on a mask. I understand I guess inside, but outside makes absoulutely no sense. Since masks are for the protection of those wearing them, then people should have the right to decide on that. If you are worried about getting it then wear one. I personnaly don’t want to be told I can’t walk outside without a mask. I reschedules my August vacation in hopes things will change. I will keep posted
Actually the masks are NOT for the protection of the wearer, they are meant to hold germs in. That’s why they can’t just say “wear a mask if you’re worried about it”. The general public does not have access to that kind of protective gear. But covering my nose and mouth keeps my germs to myself, so that’s what they are asking us to do.
Thanks for reading, hope this is all over soon!
All guests should be required to wear a mask and it shouldn’t be optional. The virus is highly contagious. If you cannot wear a mask you shouldn’t be at Disney.
100% agree. I simply cannot imagine spending that kind of money for an unenjoyable experience. If food and wine goes ahead how on earth can you wear a mask ? If it does ahead I can only assume masks will no longer be required.
They can and are requiring face masks. Any private business has a right to demand you wear a mask before entering. If you want them to open this year then this is what has to happen. As of today almost 90,000 people have died in the US from this virus and thats only the cases we know about. It is VERY contagious and Disney has thousands of people in enclosed spaces every day. I agree the heat is going to be a problem with masks. I guess they figure some money is better than no money. I cant imagine that many people would go under these circumstamces. Im waiting till this virus is at a super low level.
You hit the nail on the head- some money is better than no money. Losing 30mil a day is a tough hit to absorb. They are getting some of us to return to the parks and asking us to wear masks for the sake of protecting other people.
Thanks for reading and I really hope we don’t have to do this for very long!
I don’t like wearing masks. I only wear for short periods of time while I’m in a store.
So far, this is me too. I’ll wear them in the parks though for the benefit of other people And of course because I have to for now!
Thanks for reading.
You will get no criticism for me. Because of breathing issues, I wear a mask as little as possible in normal times. I don’t like being told I HAVE to wear a mask. If someone wants to wear one, fine, but don’t MANDATE them.
A lady in the pirate crew group is a healthcare worker and has breathing issues. She gave some good advice I thought- she said she practices wearing it at home and practices breathing slowly through the nose.
Obviously ask your doctor, not trying to give medical advice and don’t know your situation, but I found that helpful! Thanks for reading.
Any idea if they are refunding tickets that usually aren’t refunded for people unable to wear a mask? Specifically MNSSHP?
I would send an email and ask. They will most likely oblige. Guest.services@disneyworld.com is the email address. Good luck & thanks for reading!
I can’t imagine wearing a mask in the heat. I have a son with disabilities that would prevent him from wearing a mask even if it was cool out. I have July and December trips scheduled. I fear I’ll have to reschedule both. I do understand the reasoning but still feel that masks are touched so often (at least by me because I hate it so much) that they spread even more germs.
Thanks for reading! I’m sorry you’ll have to reschedule. My son is 10 and autistic and he does ok with his mask since he’s fixated on Pokémon and I bought him a Pokémon mask on Etsy. We still plan to go this summer and just spend more time at the resort, but we have that luxury as passholders who fly free anyway. I know that wouldn’t be “worth it” for most people, but I’m eager to get back to the magic!
Would the masks be required indoors and in line? That would make more sense than outside in the breeze and fresh air.
Thanks for reading! We at Kenny the pirate follow all Disney news and announcements very closely and will report as soon as they make clarifications. So keep your dial set here!
75-90% of the times I’ve been to Orlando (and I don’t do summer) I cannot IMAGINE wearing a mask at WDW. I’m dying of heat on a normal day. Also, the fact that you cannot ‘force’ people to wear a mask. There’s going to be reasons why some truly can’t and then many who don’t want to and will make up reasons why they can’t. Then you’ll have the other half plus walking around with their nose hanging out because they can’t stand it! Go ahead and jump me and say I don’t care about others, etc. But I do have a job that requires me to wear a mask daily and they suck in 69° air-conditioned areas.
I’m also interested in seeing what happens with guests with disabilities. Generally Disney has been pretty good about reasonable accommodations, I’m just not sure what they will do. As a person with Ms and with a son who is autistic, we can wear the masks but I take a special interest in how disabilities are handled. I’ll report back as soon as I know anything further. Thanks for reading!
The exact question I was coming to ask.
Any word on how long the face masks are going to be required in that contract? I understand the need for them currently, but if this lasts into the fall, I’ve got a trip to reschedule. I’d rather not spend the 10k on a limited experience.
They didn’t give a date but as the virus is predicted to have a resurgence in the fall/winter, if this truly is a deal breaker for you I would consider postponing. Especially if you have an expensive, special trip planned, you may enjoy it more next year. Thanks for reading!