Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[Chip Chipperson]

My state required them and hahahah. No. That wasn't the case. Many people went maskless and I never saw once in a year someone at Target, Publix, Wal Mart, Walgreens... what have you... demand they put one on.
The only places that happened was at a Healthcare setting

I guess it varies by where you live, but the point was that it was factually incorrect for the other poster to say that anyone who is unvaccinated and going maskless now wasn't wearing a mask anyway before various states/stores changed their rules to the honor system.

 

[Heppenheimer]

It’s also time that the people who are vaccinated turn their attention to the people who aren’t. Lots of blame and anger for the CDC acting too slowly or OC not dropping masks quickly enough or private businesses keeping restrictions. The anger and the blame should be directed at the people who aren’t vaccinated. We have enough vaccine doses that if everyone who is eligible took one cases would have already flat lined and all restrictions for everyone would have already been gone. Anyone who wants things to move faster should be fiercely advocating for everyone to get the vaccine instead we get a lot of excuses and arguments against restrictions from people who then claim to be vaccinated. There is nobody to blame but those who haven’t gone yet.

On a positive note, cases are looking good and the vaccine rollout moves forward. We will get there eventually. The time is coming soon where all restrictions can be dropped for everyone. Cases will be low enough and vaccine percentage high enough that kids under 12 or immune compromised people won’t be at much risk for infection. That’s always been the goal and It’s happening.

And for this, I ask for everyone's help. In my community, I see that we've started to reach the tipping point in which everyone who wants to get vaccinate either already has received at least one dose, or has plans in the near future to do so... and that still isn't enough.

For the truly hardcore anti-vaxxers, I don't think we'll ever reach them without Clockwork Orange-style reprogramming. They're lost causes.

But they're also polluting the water for those who are on the fence. It's these people we need to reach. I'm just one physician, and I can only reach so many people. The most common reason I hear for hesitancy is the "we don't know the long-term side effects" fear. We've refuted this and just about every other concern, legitimate or otherwise ad nauseam within this very thred Most of the people who have followed along here should know the counter-arguments to every one of these points by now.

So, if you know someone in your life who is hesitant about the vaccines, please, use what you've learned to try to convince them. Ask them what concerns they might have and provide the necessary information... and if they still have concerns, direct them to their medical provider.

 

[Epcotbob]

Honor system has zero chance of working. Only a small percentage of unvaccinated people will voluntarily keep wearing masks.
Let's think about the crowds refusing vaccine... for the most part, those people:

1 -- CDC says "wear masks" -- That crowd responds with fervent opposition but mostly complies, "because it's a mandate.. because they have no choice"
2 -- CDC says "you should get a vaccine" -- "Freedom stuff.... don't trust government, since you're not making me get a vaccine, I'm not going to do it!"
3 -- CDC says, "if you have chosen not to get a vaccine, then you really should wear a mask, but we won't enforce it.. so it's really your choice... " --- "freedom stuff.... don't trust you, I'm rejecting your advice to get a vaccine, I only was wearing a mask because I had to, now that it's effectively voluntary, why should I take the advice to wear the mask?!??? "

I think the CDC is aware of all of that, but made the call anyway based on increasing vaccination rates and falling numbers. Clearly they are aware that there will be some percentage of unvaccinated and some residual risk, but apparently not enough to continue the mask mandates for everyone. It's not a perfect world.....

 

[havoc315]

We can agree to disagree. I don’t believe that the 39.8% of adults who are currently unvaccinated are all opposed to restrictions and also all opposed to the vaccine. That label may apply to some but certainly not all of them. I haven’t written off the vaccine process yet. We have more people still to go.

Not all 39.8% of them.... But the majority of them. Polls consistently show a strong overlap between those opposed to vaccine and those opposed to restrictions.

Yesterday.... walking through the mall, I saw 0 masks apart from a couple young children. Probably saw about 100 adults, not a single mask. What are the odds that all 100 of the adults were vaccinated?

 

[robhedin]

We aren't close enough to vaccinating enough people to not care about immune compromised people. Not yet. Maybe you didn't hear about it, but I lived it with my aunt who passed away last year. I also do with a cousin with cancer and now with my MIL. They are at higher risk but our numbers are not near where they were before you didn't hear about them.

I'm honestly tired of excuses for not vaccinating at this point. If you choose not to, IMO you can suffer restrictions for being a selfish jerk. You're vaccinated and that's great, but until more are vaccinated this actually is an issue still.

For about the 10th time, vaccination is not a singular choice - it affects all.

I've got a little exception here-- the issue is not "immune compromised" people. I'm honestly not worried about them and I'm one of them. When your immune system is compromised, you've got to make some hard choices and take responsibility for yourself just like you/we did pre-covid. I don't expect the vast majority of people to be put out because of my problem (or that of a relatively small number of people).

The concern is the number of people who are not vaccinated regardless of the state of their immune system. I know many people who are vaccine hesitant -- not anti tax by any means, just hesitant of this vaccine because they're unsure of long term effects or because they've already had covid and don't see the urgency in getting jabbed.

Sadly, the messaging on this entire thing has been way too political and has polarized people to such a degree that they just don't trust the "experts" and don't know who to believe. That's an issue that's going to take way longer to recover from than covid.

At the end of the day, it looks as if we have -- rightly or wrongly -- entered the end phase of this: mask mandates are going away; distancing requirements are being dropped; the country (and Disney and Universal and and and) will be increasing capacity; and we're going to have to relearn what living as a "normal" human life means.

It's on each of us to help educate and inform our friends and coworkers and try to get them to understand that the vaccines are safe and effective.

 

[havoc315]

I think the CDC is aware of all of that, but made the call anyway based on increasing vaccination rates and falling numbers. Clearly they are aware that there will be some percentage of unvaccinated and some residual risk, but apparently not enough to continue the mask mandates for everyone. It's not a perfect world.....

There is truth to that. But they also made the call out of political expediency. Enough people are vaccinated, that it's silly to keep everyone in masks. At the same time, politically --- enforcement of masks only for unvaccinated people has become untenable. We didn't start preparing the public for vaccine passports. So an "honor code" became the only option.

 

[Nickp1983]

I think the CDC is aware of all of that, but made the call anyway based on increasing vaccination rates and falling numbers. Clearly they are aware that there will be some percentage of unvaccinated and some residual risk, but apparently not enough to continue the mask mandates for everyone. It's not a perfect world.....

That's the thing. The CDC has had all of these discussions and then some. People a lot smarter than us who spend every day studying the science has made these recommendations. They know the risks of unvaccinated not wearing masks. They know the risks to children. It's not like they are dad when you're on a road trip and he realizes he forgot to lock the back door. They've gone over all this and many other things we probably never thought of. If we can say "follow the science" 6 months ago... why can't we say it now?

 

[Flugell]

Having an immunocompromised husband and having been told to “Avoid the unvaccinated at all costs “ by his consultant mask wearing is a subject very close to my heart. Trusting strangers is not easy to do yet appears to be necessary in order to take our place in full society. Yes we are both fully vaccinated but with no guarantee of effectiveness for my husband.
I understand why the vaccinated don’t want to continue to wear masks, though personally it’s no big deal but we don’t have the heat and humidity of Florida here in the U.K.! However, for us, the unvaccinated must continue wearing masks until they are vaccinated. I believe some will but all probably not.
Some people say that the solution is for us to continue to remain isolated and avoid crowds because it is unfair to inconvenience everyone by expecting them to continue to wear masks. I think it is equally unfair to expect us to remain isolated to allow people to live their lives unmasked. To be brutally honest both options stink and impact heavily on the ability to live life fully.
It has also been pointed out that many immunocompromised were at risk before Covid-19 and have always had to live life more carefully. This may be true but as my husband’s illness has developed during the pandemic I have no personal experience of this scenario.
One of the issues I have is the constant mocking, by a few posters, of vaccinated people continuing to wear masks. From what I understand there’s a percentage of Americans who say I’m not becoming vaccinated because it is my freedom to choose well surely that should also apply to people who want to choose to continue to wear masks! The difference being that the first category are still able to infect people and the second probably not!
Let’s just hope that both our countries achieve true herd immunity as soon as possible and around the world before too long. Then discussion around these topics will be much less relevant and I can find out what a Disney Forum should really be like!!

 

[Yellow Strap]

Its really quite simple...
If your Doctor says its OK for you to get the vaccine...GET THE VACCINE.
Rinse...Repeat.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That sucks.

Also sucks: twins with whom I graduated high school, one guy, one girl. Their 50th birthday is today. She posted on FB that he has been on a ventilator since the end of April.

But it’s over, right? Everyone ditch the masks, right?

Update: he passed.

 

[Jrb1979]

That's the thing. The CDC has had all of these discussions and then some. People a lot smarter than us who spend every day studying the science has made these recommendations. They know the risks of unvaccinated not wearing masks. They know the risks to children. It's not like they are dad when you're on a road trip and he realizes he forgot to lock the back door. They've gone over all this and many other things we probably never thought of. If we can say "follow the science" 6 months ago... why can't we say it now?

I'm not disagreeing with the science. My disagreement is with the timing of it. IMO they should have waited til more people have their first dose to announce changes. At the rate it was going whats another month?

 

[correcaminos]

I've got a little exception here-- the issue is not "immune compromised" people. I'm honestly not worried about them and I'm one of them. When your immune system is compromised, you've got to make some hard choices and take responsibility for yourself just like you/we did pre-covid. I don't expect the vast majority of people to be put out because of my problem (or that of a relatively small number of people).

The concern is the number of people who are not vaccinated regardless of the state of their immune system. I know many people who are vaccine hesitant -- not anti tax by any means, just hesitant of this vaccine because they're unsure of long term effects or because they've already had covid and don't see the urgency in getting jabbed.

Sadly, the messaging on this entire thing has been way too political and has polarized people to such a degree that they just don't trust the "experts" and don't know who to believe. That's an issue that's going to take way longer to recover from than covid.

At the end of the day, it looks as if we have -- rightly or wrongly -- entered the end phase of this: mask mandates are going away; distancing requirements are being dropped; the country (and Disney and Universal and and and) will be increasing capacity; and we're going to have to relearn what living as a "normal" human life means.

It's on each of us to help educate and inform our friends and coworkers and try to get them to understand that the vaccines are safe and effective.

I am glad you are not concerned but I still am for others. So it might be your exception, but it is not mine. Our visit with a loved one we haven't seen since 2019 is on hold due to cancer treatments. Though our kid being vaccinated can be a tipping point.

Some of us have already tried our best to get through to some. The political crap really hurt far more than I ever realized. Now the unvaccinated will get to reap the rewards of those of us doing the work causing some to still have to shut in out of concerns. Even healthy vaccinated people are worried.

I've spent my time trying to help others both understand fears and such. I spent time finding vaccines for countless people. Honestly I don't need anyone to tell me what you did because I've been there and done that. My state may not reach 50% at the rate we are going and after a few close loved ones being snotty about it to me, I'm honestly tired of it. So sorry I'm not as fluffy happy as I could be. Selfish people disgust me.

 

[Parker in NYC]

Well, you have to have hope.
And if you're out of hope... a nice bottle of bourbon will work.

This I can get behind.

 

[correcaminos]

I'm not disagreeing with the science. My disagreement is with the timing of it. IMO they should have waited til more people have their first dose to announce changes. At the rate it was going whats another month?

It's not the CDC at fault though. They were right. Policy makers mucked up by not using it as an incentive.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Update: he passed.

I'm so sorry, Tony.

 

[JD80]

Its really quite simple...
If your Doctor says its OK for you to get the vaccine...GET THE VACCINE.
Rinse...Repeat.

Hopefully it'll be even easier soon:

If your Doctor says its OK for you to get the vaccine.. ASK HIM FOR ONE! ... because the doctors office has a supply of them in the freezer.

 

[DCBaker]

Current Florida vaccine report -

 

[correcaminos]

Update: he passed.

I am so very sorry

 

[Trauma]

We aren't close enough to vaccinating enough people to not care about immune compromised people. Not yet. Maybe you didn't hear about it, but I lived it with my aunt who passed away last year. I also do with a cousin with cancer and now with my MIL. They are at higher risk but our numbers are not near where they were before you didn't hear about them.

I'm honestly tired of excuses for not vaccinating at this point. If you choose not to, IMO you can suffer restrictions for being a selfish jerk. You're vaccinated and that's great, but until more are vaccinated this actually is an issue still.

For about the 10th time, vaccination is not a singular choice - it affects all.

First of all I am fully vaccinated. Everyone should get vaccinated immediately if they are not.

My father died of the flu 6 years ago. He also had stage 4 lung cancer and had at most a few weeks to live otherwise.

My point is this, if you or your loved ones are immunocompromised you would have to be extra careful even if covid never existed, and should consider wearing a mask or staying home even if we reach 100% vaccinated.

 

[Trauma]

Update: he passed.

This is a terrible tragedy. Every single death. I’m sorry for you loss.