Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[robhedin]

It’s anecdotal, but a number of people posting in this thread don’t even agree that anything is worse today than Memorial Day. They don’t believe the numbers are going up or if they do think they are going up they don’t think that fact is a big deal anyway. Those people won’t cancel. Most of the people on the other side weren’t going to go anyway whether cases went up, down or stayed the same. This is all just my opinion, but most of the people planning on going to WDW this summer are much more likely to cancel due to stuff like further restrictions or up charges for switching hotels than virus related data.

It's definitely not better, and by some measures it's definitely worse. That said, when I look at all the numbers I don't necessarily see a huge problem yet. Cases are going up, hospitals are being used more (but part of that is because they're back to doing non-COVID treatments -- see my earlier posting about TMC in Houston). If we have capacity to deal with things successfully -- and that is a big "if" -- then we're probably headed in the right direction (to me).

That "if" is the stickler, though. Just because the numbers I'm seeing today tell me one thing, doesn't mean that they won't change tomorrow- hospitalization and mortality is a lagging indicator after all. We're a couple of weeks away from Memorial Day; we've had a lot of places reopening over the past weeks; it feels like we should be getting a much better handle on the numbers over the next 10-14 days.

 

[disneygeek90]

In the panhandle of Florida it has been business as usual for the past few weeks, typical summer crowds, very crowded, less than 5% of people wearing a mask if even that. Everything is open. Even workers and servers are not wearing masks in some restaurants. Did see workers at Publix still wearing masks. And the six foot rule is not even being observed in the majority of places, maybe in some restaurants with every other table. One would be hard pressed to notice a difference from last year and today.

Is this supposed to read as encouraging or nah? Because that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me.

 

[disneygeek90]

I don’t disagree. I’m just gonna be really ****ed off if my kids can’t go back to school in the fall because we rushed to open a damn water park and we‘re all back on stay at home orders. I really hope thats not the case.

I went on Snapchat last night to find out what was posting in “hot” areas. I clicked on downtown Orlando and this is what was posted. Seemingly hundreds of people jumping up and down in close quarters at bars. No masks. I don’t love what I’m seeing from all the theme parks but they are doing miles better than this.

I know it’s a little blurry but you should get this picture

 

[WDWTrojan]

This is exactly what I'm saying about the use of cloth masks by the general populace. Too many people are relying on studies of N95 respirators in hospitals and then concluding that cloth masks are going to make things safer at Disney.

Not even that. Just look to what there countries who take this seriously are doing. Austria required masks for everyone everywhere and cases dropped by 90%.

Austria Has 90% Drop in Coronavirus Cases After Requiring People to Wear Face Masks

Austria managed to slow down the rate of coronavirus cases in the country by 90% after requiring everyone to wear a face mask. Meanwhile, other countries are struggling to keep the number of cases and fatalities low.

www.sciencetimes.com

 

[lilypgirl]

I went on Snapchat last night to find out what was posting in “hot” areas. I clicked on downtown Orlando and this is what was posted. Seemingly hundreds of people jumping up and down in close quarters at bars. No masks. I don’t love what I’m seeing from all the theme parks but they are doing miles better than this.

I know it’s a little blurry but you should get this picture

View attachment 476495
View attachment 476496

This is what’s going on in Brooklyn today so Waterparks and bars being open seem a little less offensive and won’t really be what keeps us stuck at home again!

 

[GoofGoof]

Similar to Houston: the hospitals are once again being used for non-COVID care, so their utilization numbers are going up. For example, at The Texas Medical Center in Houston their ICU utilization numbers earlier today was at about 73%, but when you broke out the actual reasons the people were in ICU, 15% were there for COVID related matters, and 58% were for non COVID. Their early warning metrics were all green except for a 12 day upward trend in cases that they consider of moderate concern (orange). See: https://www.tmc.edu/coronavirus-updates/proposed-early-warning-monitoring-and-mitigation-metrics/

Elective surgeries are back so that accounts for a lot of the regular hospital room utilization percentages going up. That’s a good thing. I would hope ICU % wouldn‘t be impacted much by elective surgeries. I did see where they are looking to re-open the temporary hospital at NRG Stadium in Houston just in case. It was proposed but never needed in the initial wave. I wonder if they got all the dirt out from the rodeo

 

[MisterPenguin]

In the panhandle of Florida it has been business as usual for the past few weeks, typical summer crowds, very crowded, less than 5% of people wearing a mask if even that. Everything is open. Even workers and servers are not wearing masks in some restaurants. Did see workers at Publix still wearing masks. And the six foot rule is not even being observed in the majority of places, maybe in some restaurants with every other table. One would be hard pressed to notice a difference from last year and today.

I guess that's why some areas of the panhandle are experiencing more cases per capita than Miami...

 

[Kevin_W]

Elective surgeries are back so that accounts for a lot of the regular hospital room utilization percentages going up. That’s a good thing. I would hope ICU % wouldn‘t be impacted much by elective surgeries.

There are certainly some. A coworker of mine had outpatient knee-replacement surgery a few weeks ago. He ended up using an ICU bed for a day or two last week due to some complications. (Luckily, he is home and well now.)

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

It is known isn't it there’s no fireworks for the foreseeable future?

What is foreseeable future? Six months?

 

[GoofGoof]

There are certainly some. A coworker of mine had outpatient knee-replacement surgery a few weeks ago. He ended up using an ICU bed for a day or two last week due to some complications. (Luckily, he is home and well now.)

Sure. Anything related to heart or lungs or elderly patients could end up there too, but a day or 2 isn’t going to clog the system. It’s the Covid patients spending weeks or even months that were more problematic.

 

[Disstevefan1]

This is SCIENCE. Reccomendations change as data supports it. As we now know more about the method of transmission (aersosol droplets) and asymptomatic spread masks are more effective than once believed.

Agreed, science is fun. As the Myth busters said, Failure is always an option.

 

[rk03221]

America is past the point of caring anymore, I agree with opening but we should be taking precautions.

 

[Disstevefan1]

This is what’s going on in Brooklyn today so Waterparks and bars being open seem a little less offensive and won’t really be what keeps us stuck at home again!

WOW! That’s a lot of people not social distancing.

 

[lilypgirl]

WOW! That’s a lot of people not social distancing.

I hope they have their required mask on.

 

[DCBaker]

I hope they have their required mask on.

Looks like they do!

 

[DCBaker]

Believe in Magic as Hong Kong Disneyland Announces Reopening on June 18

At Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, it is my privilege to work with an incredible team of cast members to help share the magic with our guests. Over the past few months, we’ve been moved by your understanding and patience as we navigated an

t.co

Video on what to expect -

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Hong Kong Disneyland will be the next Disney theme park to reopen when it does so on Thursday.

Hawaii ends its 14 day quarantine for those travelling between islands on Tuesday, but has extended its mandatory quarantine for out of state visitors until at least the end of July. No update yet on Aulani's reopening, just that they're still taking reservations from July 1.

 

[ThatMouse]

... we've had a lot of places reopening over the past weeks; it feels like we should be getting a much better handle on the numbers over the next 10-14 days.

I'm super hopeful, but logically you would think that phase 2 would increase the daily infection rates not lower it. Florida's phased plan is not very specific in how they will determine when phase 3 will start, and as I said before July the state offices are fully opening. Technically any downward trend in the graph could trigger phase 3 even if we are at the highest daily infections ever.

So I have some anxiety that we're not even close to the peak yet and July, August and Sept will be increasingly bad. Maybe the recent spikes will scare more people into being safer.

 

[disneygeek90]

What is foreseeable future? Six months?

At this rate we’ll be lucky if it’s only 6 months.

 

[legwand77]

I guess that's why some areas of the panhandle are experiencing more cases per capita than Miami...
View attachment 476500

Nope, not the beach counties, those are in <1 per 250. The county you highlighted has a prison outbreak that is the majority of those cases and they aren't going to the beach, plus it is one of the least populated counties in Florida