Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[Andrew C]

Under 200?? Here in BC we’ve been in the very low double digits, into single digits for a while at the daily updates. I think last update was 20 new cases in a day.

You should now fight about which province is better like we fight about which state is better. And don’t give me that nonsense about Canadians being too nice to do that. You don’t fool me!

 

[GoofGoof]

yep. A lot can happen in 2 weeks.

True. If the cases drop off again then this discussion is irrelevant. The only issue is if they go the other way. At some point there has to be a hard stop or red line that becomes the point of no return. They have to order tons of food and other supplies that can’t just go to waste. I don't know when the drop dead point is, could have already gone by.

 

[Andrew C]

True. If the cases drop off again then this discussion is irrelevant. The only issue is if they go the other way. At some point there has to be a hard stop or red line that becomes the point of no return. They have to order tons of food and other supplies that can’t just go to waste. I don't know when the drop dead point is, could have already gone by.

i don’t doubt if things got worse, they could change course. But it would be weird to me if others stayed open at the same time.

 

[Rider]

Could you please share with us how you know there WILL be spread of covid around the parks? I don’t doubt that someone might end up at the parks who coincidentally had asymptomatic covid but that is true anywhere. It doesn’t mean it will spread. Hunches aren’t scientific and I’d argue that we have zero evidence of spread at theme parks. There’s a reason why experts emphasize close contact because that continues to be the most likely route of transmission. Even this spike bears that out. It’s not what we want to see but it’s almost certainly people doing high risk things. You wouldn’t be considered close contact, for example, if you went to Walmart on the same day as an infected employee. Even if they could trace that you were there, you’re not a contact. You’d never be included in any trace investigation for momentary exposure to someone especially a stranger. That has been the guidance all along. 15 minutes or more face to face. Since everything we do is fairly momentary at Disney, nobody is at high risk and a mask secures that risk is further minimized whenever you are in lines or indoors.

There is a reason large gatherings were banned and none of the protection measures are 100% effective. The more people in a space the more likely there will be someone with Covid who spreads it to someone else. This is a very contagious desease and Disney isn't magic.

As you said the best case is that some people get it who were at the parks but they can't really prove they caught it or spread it there. But that doesn't mean it won't happen.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

yep. A lot can happen in 2 weeks. a few hours

it took the parks Hours to close the first time around.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

i don’t doubt if things got worse, they could change course. But it would be weird to me if others stayed open at the same time.

We could also be looking at a "lets see what Disney does" situation when it comes to other parks.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

True. If the cases drop off again then this discussion is irrelevant.

PLEASE let this be the case.

 

[Disney Analyst]

You should now fight about which province is better like we fight about which state is better. And don’t give me that nonsense about Canadians being too nice to do that. You don’t fool me!

Instead we will debate this with class and a little bit of heat, whilst we dine on poutine and sip maple syrup.

 

[mickeymiss]

That’s a valid opinion to have but it doesn’t matter what you or I think it matters what Disney management thinks. They have some internal metric they will use and it may be what you suggested or it may be something different. I can tell you for sure that some level of PR factors in as well. They do have to worry about the reputation of the company. If they open now with questions over case spikes and there is a mass infection of guests or CMs traced back to WDW there can be damage done to their business longer term. We all know the sensationalized headlines that will come of it and pointing at a plan (one I agree is pretty solid) isn’t goin to get them off the hook. It could hurt future bookings for months out. They can’t just not open, I’m not saying that, but opening in the middle of a major spike is higher risk than waiting for cases to decline. Someone at the highest levels of TWDC is weighing that risk vs the cost of delaying right now. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Things have changed so drastically. People still feel entitled to be out in crowded streets for protests in spite of these spikes. That alone shows us how different the climate has become since March. We were all afraid to get groceries back then. Protesters believe (perhaps rightly) that they have found a way around the risk and it will be hard to justify Disney rolling back when their safety plans are superior to what protesters are doing. I bring up the protesters because it’s the best and only example of a society approved crowd surge that rivals a majority of what is considered risky in ordinary life. I think every state has had an increase whether we hear about it in the news or not.
We need to know what’s causing it before closing people down again. I don’t think Disney will ever open if they don’t open in July. There will never be zero cases and we can’t play around with the economy. We may never have a vaccine or cure. The shut down experiment failed so miserably and I worry that some people still don’t think so.

 

[GoofGoof]

i don’t doubt if things got worse, they could change course. But it would be weird to me if others stayed open at the same time.

In a way it’s actually easier to justify Universal and Sea World staying open vs WDW opening. Lets just say for example there’s an outbreak traced back to Universal mid Juiy. They can say we were open for 6 weeks with no issues before that so from a PR perspective an easier sell. If the same event happens at WDW a week after they open it’s basically they opened despite a disturbing trend in cases and look what happened. I know it’s not entirely fair, but in the court of public opinion it rarely is. Maybe Disney would have actually been better off opening June 1.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

Things have changed so drastically. People still feel entitled to be out in crowded streets for protests in spite of these spikes. That alone shows us how different the climate has become since March. We were all afraid to get groceries back then. Protesters believe (perhaps rightly) that they have found a way around the risk and it will be hard to justify Disney rolling back when their safety plans are superior to what protesters are doing. I bring up the protesters because it’s the best and only example of a society approved crowd surge that rivals a majority of what is considered risky in ordinary life. I think every state has had an increase whether we hear about it in the news or not.
We need to know what’s causing it before closing people down again. I don’t think Disney will ever open if they don’t open in July. There will never be zero cases and we can’t play around with the economy. We may never have a vaccine or cure. The shut down experiment failed so miserably and I worry that some people still don’t think so.

This is false. There are plenty of states that are doing very well in keeping their cases very low right now, unless you are suggesting a grand cover-up? Florida is among the worst in the country right now. There's quite a bit of middle ground between "zero cases" and Florida's current situation.

Your philosophy of 'keep everything moving as normal until we understand it more' is interesting. Most people feel that the opposite is the prudent way of dealing with a potentially dangerous situation.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Instead we will debate this with class and a little bit of heat, whilst we dine on poutine and sip maple syrup.

You'll know its time for panic in Canada when an outbreak gets traced back to a Tim Horton's.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Broadway Performance Suspension Extended Through January 3

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, the Broadway League has announced a further delay to the reopening of shows on the New York stage. Initially set …

t.co

That’s 40+ theaters. Each theatre has an on stage cast of 20-100, live orchestra, stage managers, lighting and sound tech.’s, wardrobe, security, concessions, Merch, ushers, ticket sales, custodial and maintenance. That’s so many people without jobs for the rest of the year.

There needs to be an economic plan and fast. :-(

 

[Andrew C]

You'll know its time for panic in Canada when an outbreak gets traced back to a Tim Horton's.

Where else? A curling match?

 

[dolbyman]

You'll know its time for panic in Canada when an outbreak gets traced back to a Tim Horton's.

Nice and quiet Covid wise here (BC) .... mask ratio in malls and supermarkets is 50% I'd say

 

[mickeymiss]

There is a reason large gatherings were banned and none of the protection measures are 100% effective. The more people in a space the more likely there will be someone with Covid who spreads it to someone else. This is a very contagious desease and Disney isn't magic.

As you said the best case is that some people get it who were at the parks but they can't really prove they caught it or spread it there. But that doesn't mean it won't happen.

Gatherings are defined more as parties and events. Weddings, for example. This transformed version of Disney meets no criteria for a gathering. I think it’s more likely for employees to pass it around to each other if they aren’t being careful enough than any guest being affected. Think of how many grocery stores and big box stores have been open all along. One or two rare outbreaks were made public but only among employees BEFORE masks were required. I’ve heard nothing since. It stands to reason that masks indoors are effective in large part for people who won’t be spending a lot of time together in close contact. That’s Disney. IMHO I appreciate the discussion nonetheless.

 

[GoofGoof]

Things have changed so drastically. People still feel entitled to be out in crowded streets for protests in spite of these spikes. That alone shows us how different the climate has become since March. We were all afraid to get groceries back then. Protesters believe (perhaps rightly) that they have found a way around the risk and it will be hard to justify Disney rolling back when their safety plans are superior to what protesters are doing. I bring up the protesters because it’s the best and only example of a society approved crowd surge that rivals a majority of what is considered risky in ordinary life. I think every state has had an increase whether we hear about it in the news or not.
We need to know what’s causing it before closing people down again. I don’t think Disney will ever open if they don’t open in July. There will never be zero cases and we can’t play around with the economy. We may never have a vaccine or cure. The shut down experiment failed so miserably and I worry that some people still don’t think so.

Just my opinion, but I don’t think the recent protests have any bearing on WDW. I don’t care to get into the politics behind the protests which is off topic, but I’m pretty sure the average person can see that there’s not an equivalency between someone feeling the need to protest something they feel is unjust and someone needing to go to a theme park for vacation. I’m not saying that is what you think just that if you ignore whether or not you agree with the reason for the protests nobody really sees them as equivalent.

On the Disney opening front, again I will say I don’t think they will just not open ever. If for some reason they delay the opening it’s not July or nothing. DLR will re-open despite their opening being pushed back and so will WDW.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

I don’t think Disney will ever open if they don’t open in July. There will never be zero cases and we can’t play around with the economy. We may never have a vaccine or cure. The shut down experiment failed so miserably and I worry that some people still don’t think so.

They will open when its safe to do so.

There are enough states to show that shutting down did work. Look at the NE, MI, WA, OR.

 

[Miss Bella]

Stop. That doesn’t move any conversation forward. It just ****es people off.

I think that’s the objective.

 

[Miss Bella]

They will open when its safe to do so.

There are enough states to show that shutting down did work. Look at the NE, MI, WA, OR.

How do you know these states won’t eventually have an outbreak.? I think it’s way to early for any state to start bragging.