Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[lisa12000]

Yes, masks are required in gyms... though probably depends on the state. In NY, masks are required in gyms.

And yes, there is evidence that indoor dining contributing to Covid infection spread:

CDC Observes Link Between COVID-19 Spikes and Increased Dining Out

The findings don’t prove cause and effect, but the statistically significant patterns are in line with previous studies and expert advice

www.eater.com

COVID and indoor dining: Concerns are valid but data scarce to support closures

It’s understandable why there are concerns about indoor dining during the coronavirus pandemic. Diners are unmasked, and they’re often there for a long time. As they chat before, during…

www.mcall.com

It's been something hard to study. Not exactly easy to create a study vs placebo group to measure indoor dining. Plus, we don't do nearly enough contract tracing to fully measure.

But there is plenty of evidence suggesting a likely link between indoor dining and infection spread.

Ingraham wrongly says restaurants don’t spread COVID-19

Fox News host Laura Ingraham downplayed the risk of contracting the coronavirus while dining at a restaurant, wrongly cl

www.politifact.com

again not disputing the claims that there may be some cases linked - and our contact tracing may be a little better than yours (although not perfect at all) - I’m just saying that even if you don’t want people in for a two hour three course meal or a night at the pub I’m not quite sure the issue with popping to Starbucks for a latte esp if they make indoor dining household only - not sure they stack up as having the same risk as each other tbf

 

[havoc315]

again not disputing the claims that there may be some cases linked - and our contact tracing may be a little better than yours (although not perfect at all) - I’m just saying that even if you don’t want people in for a two hour three course meal or a night at the pub I’m not quite sure the issue with popping to Starbucks for a latte esp if they make indoor dining household only - not sure they stack up as having the same risk as each other tbf

Well yes -- We already have had indoor dining open through almost the entire country for months now.
Some areas have limited to outdoor dining only, but indoor dining has been available through most of the country for quite a while.

In most areas, there are either no restrictions or the tables are simply spaced a bit further apart than normal.

In New York, outside of New York City, restaurants are operating at 75% capacity and with tables spaced 6 feet from each other. (New York City is still limited to 35%).

You've been able to pop into Starbucks for an Espresso for a while already.

 

[DisneyCane]

It was mentioned during a news conference last month when they were deciding on lowering the age for vaccines.

I think thats why they lowered them so fast. They knew there wasnt going to be that big of a demand for the younger people.

What is kind of funny to me is there are probably a not insignificant number of CMs who ridiculously wear face shields while working at WDW but will then not go out and get vaccinated.

 

[sullyinMT]

ps not sure what it’s like in the US but we don’t have to wear a mask when working out in the gym over here

My gym asks that everyone mask up moving from machine to machine. In practice, about half of us do. In a space covering about 1/4 city block over 2 floors, it’s pretty easy to space out between exercise stations.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Not to mention -- You can wear a mask in a gym. You can't wear a mask when dining.
You can workout socially distanced from anyone else.
At a restaurant, you're not socially distanced from the other people at your table, from the wait staff.

A gym and a restaurant are completely totally different environments.

Well, at least people who spent money on those useless "training masks" a few years ago now have an actual science-based reason to wear them.

 

[disneygeek90]

My friend is a teacher in FL and got his vaccine as soon as he was able to, completed the Pfizer series 2 weeks ago. I have one Pfizer in for two weeks. He found out yesterday that another teacher he worked closely with on Wednesday tested positive. I guess she had been feeling not 100% all last week, took two negative tests, and finally a positive yesterday after she lost taste and smell.

Obviously if she had done what my friend did and got the vaccine, there's a good chance she would not be needing to contact students and other teachers. We are now going to get a pretty early test if his vaccine (and mine perhaps?) held up. It just so happened that we were at the parks this weekend. If this had happened a few months ago we would all be feeling a bit more concerned than we are now.

 

[James J]

studies over here have shown that there was little contribution to the infection rates from indoor dining even from the second wave though. Tbh I feel safer in a pub with the mitigation’s put in place than in many non essential retail stores. Anyway I sort of take the point with alcohol being an issue and even the length of time in there but still really really don’t see the issue with a Costa - even if they made it household only for now for indoor hospitality abs outdoor for mixed households

ps not sure what it’s like in the US but we don’t have to wear a mask when working out in the gym over here

It's just when working out you don't have to wear the mask at the gym - when you're moving between machines/areas and in the changing rooms you're meant to wear one.

 

[Heppenheimer]

What is kind of funny to me is there are probably a not insignificant number of CMs who ridiculously wear face shields while working at WDW but will then not go out and get vaccinated.

Did I see something posted here that Disney is running a vaccination program for CMs? I seem to recall medical-looking people standing in front of some van with a picture of Minnie on it.

If a non-medical employer is going to that lengths to get their people vaccinated and they still are hesitant? We're doomed.

 

[DisneyCane]

My friend is a teacher in FL and got his vaccine as soon as he was able to, completed the Pfizer series 2 weeks ago. I have one Pfizer in for two weeks. He found out yesterday that another teacher he worked closely with on Wednesday tested positive. I guess she had been feeling not 100% all last week, took two negative tests, and finally a positive yesterday after she lost taste and smell.

Obviously if she had done what my friend did and got the vaccine, there's a good chance she would not be needing to contact students and other teachers. We are now going to get a pretty early test if his vaccine (and mine perhaps?) held up. It just so happened that we were at the parks this weekend. If this had happened a few months ago we would all be feeling a bit more concerned than we are now.

Honestly, the biggest motivating factor for me getting vaccinated was not wanting to potentially lose my sense of taste and smell. I've known several people with pretty minor COVID but lost taste and smell for weeks (and in one case months). I know it is still possible but I've made it extremely unlikely!

 

[Patcheslee]

People are also simply not planning until a couple months out. Lots of open days for June until a few weeks before dining had to be made. I expect the same to happen for July and longer unless they do increase capacity.

Wait to the cicadas come, plenty of us will be high tailing it south. I've been begging DH for an extra week lol

 

[Parker in NYC]

Any fellow New Yorkers or commuters hear any rumblings that offices downtown may return as early as June? I think they’re now at like 10%. My company has a meeting on Friday to discuss return to office but just rumored date chatter til then. I’m stunned. They went from January in Feb to September in March. Vaccine or not, those trains are all I’m worried about.

 

[Patcheslee]

Dollywood is modifying their mask policy and temp screening ends.

 

[Parker in NYC]

Dollywood is modifying their mask policy and temp screening ends.

Oh, Dolly. As though people are putting their masks back on. Open the floodgates.

 

[Tom P.]

Dollywood is modifying their mask policy and temp screening ends.

Temperature screenings have always been useless. Plenty of things other than Covid, many of them harmless, cause elevated temperatures. And Covid often is not accompanied by a fever. I never once had a fever when I had Covid. As far back as August, Dr. Fauci said temperature screenings were "notoriously inaccurate" and mentioned that his own temperature was at 103 on a hot summer day before he got into air conditioning. The CDC does not recommend temperature screening as a general purpose screening tool for Covid. Disney needs to follow Dollywood's lead on this.

Oh, Dolly. As though people are putting their masks back on. Open the floodgates.

One can only hope.

 

[GoofGoof]

Social distancing 6ft is an arbitrary number that translates to simply give each other some space (remember the virus can not judge distance or count) and depending on the location hard to maintain. The masks make absolute sense in enclosed spaces and locations where reasonable distancing can not be accomplished, but, outdoors with yards not feet away from each other masks should be totally optional. As for people not wanting to vaccinate, simply put, there are those that fear the vaccine more than the disease thanks to the fear mongers constant deluge of bad news.

People will complain if they are told by the government they have to get vaccinated so I am simply proposing that if people don’t want to get the vaccine they don’t have to, but they need to continue wearing a mask and distancing for as long as community spread is a problem. For anyone who chooses to be vaccinated they no longer need to wear a mask or distance because the whole point of masks and distancing is to prevent you from infecting other people and once fully vaccinated you are a very low risk to infect others. Simple, easy to follow and easy to enforce at workplaces. If you fear the vaccine than simply don’t get it and continue to wear a mask and distance until a point where community spread is low enough to dictate they aren’t needed for anyone. Not zero cases, but near zero.

At some point people need to make the decision if their fear of a perfectly safe vaccine is going to override their desire to go to work or school without a mask. If the answer is yes, then keep the mask. If no, then take the jab. There is no reason for all of us who decide to get the vaccine to continue wearing masks and distancing to protect the small group who won’t. This should be rolled out in all workplaces because it’s easy to enforce and perfectly legal. It’s so much simpler than trying to have vaccine passports for all activities. Most people need to work, most people hate wearing masks everywhere, most people will overcome their fear of the vaccine if it means a benefit to them...not having to wear the mask. You don’t get the shot, you don’t get the benefit. We aren’t going to get most of these people in to get vaccines hoping they do it for the greater good or for the benefit of the economy or the country. They are assuming that they can just skip the vaccine and covid restrictions will go away for everyone including them. It’s time we start ramping up benefits for those “brave enough” to take the vaccine. Carrot not stick.

 

[JoeCamel]

Oh, Dolly. As though people are putting their masks back on. Open the floodgates.

Don't hate on Dolly she gets a pass

 

[GoofGoof]

Temperature screenings have always been useless. Plenty of things other than Covid, many of them harmless, cause elevated temperatures. And Covid often is not accompanied by a fever. I never once had a fever when I had Covid. As far back as August, Dr. Fauci said temperature screenings were "notoriously inaccurate" and mentioned that his own temperature was at 103 on a hot summer day before he got into air conditioning. The CDC does not recommend temperature screening as a general purpose screening tool for Covid. Disney needs to follow Dollywood's lead on this.


One can only hope.

Temp screenings are all just wishful thinking. I remember a year ago when Wuhan was opening back up and that was the big news that they were doing temp checks everywhere. If only that actually worked we would be out of this by now. If every Covid positive person had a fever as soon as they were infected there would be no need to close any businesses or restrict capacity. Unfortunately that was never the case. For WDW it provides a sense of security for some guests. It’s a tangible sign that they are actively trying to prevent Covid positive people in, but provides only limited value.

 

[Parker in NYC]

Temperature screenings have always been useless. Plenty of things other than Covid, many of them harmless, cause elevated temperatures. And Covid often is not accompanied by a fever. I never once had a fever when I had Covid. As far back as August, Dr. Fauci said temperature screenings were "notoriously inaccurate" and mentioned that his own temperature was at 103 on a hot summer day before he got into air conditioning. The CDC does not recommend temperature screening as a general purpose screening tool for Covid. Disney needs to follow Dollywood's lead on this.

I’m talking masks.

One can only hope.

Not this one.

Don't hate on Dolly she gets a pass

Sorry, my Queen is disappointing me here. In fact, we had a Dollywood trip planned last June and wanted to reschedule for this coming June. That ain’t happening now.

 

[havoc315]

People will complain if they are told by the government they have to get vaccinated so I am simply proposing that if people don’t want to get the vaccine they don’t have to, but they need to continue wearing a mask and distancing for as long as community spread is a problem. For anyone who chooses to be vaccinated they no longer need to wear a mask or distance because the whole point of masks and distancing is to prevent you from infecting other people and once fully vaccinated you are a very low risk to infect others. Simple, easy to follow and easy to enforce at workplaces.

Problem is the difficulty of enforcement. Especially with some places like Florida refusing to allow sharing of vaccination information.
The people who tend to be voluntarily compliant are also the people who tend to get vaccinated.
So how do you stop the unvaccinated person from taking off their mask?

Goes back to what I've been saying for months... a vaccine passport really would be ideal. But it has become too politically charged.

But it would make enforcement easy: "No mask or social distancing required in this theater/restaurant/gym/etc ... just show your proof of vaccination, come in and take off your mask."
Nobody HAS to get vaccinated.... but you do have to get vaccinated for admission into venues that don't have social distancing and masking.

If you fear the vaccine than simply don’t get it and continue to wear a mask and distance until a point where community spread is low enough to dictate they aren’t needed for anyone. Not zero cases, but near zero.

At some point people need to make the decision if their fear of a perfectly safe vaccine is going to override their desire to go to work or school without a mask.

The anti-vaxxers/anti-maskers plan to just ride on the coattails. You really can't distinguish between the vaccinated and unvaccinated in a mixed workplace or venue.

Imagine a movie theater.... Even if you checked vaccine status at the door, "ok, you must wear a mask since you aren't vaccinated" -- How are you going to stop the unvaccinated person from taking off their mask at some point during the movie?

At Disney World, are cast members going to randomly walk up to unmasked people and ask to see their vaccine cards?

If the answer is yes, then keep the mask. If no, then take the jab. There is no reason for all of us who decide to get the vaccine to continue wearing masks and distancing to protect the small group who won’t.

Except that it's impossible to distinguish the 2 groups.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Oh, Dolly. As though people are putting their masks back on. Open the floodgates.

Maybe that’s the plan but seem like it’s baby steps so it’s not a PR mess