Coronavirus and Walt Disney World general discussion

[correcaminos]

lol. I lived for 30 years in Ohio. But thanks anyway.

Could've seriously fooled me as a lifelong Ohioan. Not joking either. Granted I've lived in a few different parts of the state and being in all 3 types (rural, suburban, and urban) so maybe I have a more wide spread view of things. But again Ohio is better than WV in terms of vax status and really any "diverse politics" are in bubbles. Sometimes living in a bubble I forget how singular it can be in many areas of the state. Then I drive down 71 or out 70 west and I'm reminded of the 100% difference between my suburban life and the rural that most of the state is.

 

[Phil12]

They are running the AC in the buses. If a bus does not have working AC it is pulled from service.

However, since Covid they are running the buses with the rear emergency hatch in the ceiling open. This is done to increase ventilation in the bus. Because of this seats in the rear often feel a bit warmer and more humid than usual.

They're just trying to make the buses feel more like the Skyliner gondolas.

 

[Giants14]

Apologises if this has already been discussed, i'm too lazy to read all 3000+ pages haha

What is the likeihood of everything in Disney being re-opened for Summer 2022 - i.e do we believe fireworks and character greets being available next summer.

Trying to convince my wife to go 2022 but there is the obvious concern of travelling etc

 

[James J]

Apologises if this has already been discussed, i'm too lazy to read all 3000+ pages haha

What is the likeihood of everything in Disney being re-opened for Summer 2022 - i.e do we believe fireworks and character greets being available next summer.

Trying to convince my wife to go 2022 but there is the obvious concern of travelling etc

The info will be amongst various other threads here, but the likelihood seems very high for it to be much more normal feeling way before Summer 2022. I don't know how soon full on character greets will be back but our insiders point to fireworks being back within the next few weeks.

 

[havoc315]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/06/14/covid-cases-vaccination-rates/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main

 

[durangojim]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/06/14/covid-cases-vaccination-rates/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main

What would be really interesting, but probably close to impossible, would be to see the demographics on a day by day basis for WDW and Universal and follow those people to see what infection rates during the restriction periods and then after.

 

[havoc315]

What would be really interesting, but probably close to impossible, would be to see the demographics on a day by day basis for WDW and Universal and follow those people to see what infection rates during the restriction periods and then after.

You would need control groups, as “restrictions” were only 1 of many many factors affecting infection rates. And such control groups aren’t possible.

For example, you would need to compare infection rate with restrictions on October 1, 2020 with infection rate without restrictions on October 1, 2020, in order to control for seasonality.

 

[The Mom]

Please do not make political posts or engage in mask debates - again and again. Please stay on topic - what is happening at WDW re coronavirus.

 

[ABQ]

As case counts continue to drop, the more important stat to focus on, all along imho, would be hospitalization rates, which also continue to drop, along all age groups as well:

One would assume that as hospitalizations decline so will deaths, I hope.

 

[LittleBuford]

Helpful to know what to look for with the Delta variant:

Headache and runny nose linked to Delta variant

People may need to be on the lookout for different Covid symptoms, according to researchers.

www.bbc.co.uk

And, as expected, the lifting of restrictions in England has been delayed:

Covid: Lockdown easing in England to be delayed by four weeks

Most current Covid rules will remain for four more weeks after 21 June, government sources say.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[wannabeBelle]

And, as expected, the lifting of restrictions in England has been delayed:

Covid: Lockdown easing in England to be delayed by four weeks

Most current Covid rules will remain for four more weeks after 21 June, government sources say.

www.bbc.co.uk

@marni1971

 

[Communicora]

An interesting article in the Washing Post concerning "hygiene theater".

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/temp-checks-digital-menus-touchless-124057363.html

The article starts with some examples:

WASHINGTON - At an ice cream shop in Rockville, Md., gloved servers scoop the frozen treat into cups, but a sign taped to the front window says "No cones: Covid." At McDonald's outlets along I-95 in Virginia, yellow police-style tape cordons off self-serve beverage stations. And at Nationals Park, baseball fans use a QR code and digital menu rather than ordering directly from the person who hands them their hot dog.​

​

None of these precautions provide meaningful protection against the spread of the coronavirus, safety experts say. Instead, they are examples of what critics call "hygiene theater," the deployment of symbolic tactics that do little to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but may make some anxious consumers feel safer.​

12 months ago I remember disinfecting my grocery bags after watching a segment by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Hey, there was a lot of fear that COVID was being spread on surfaces. We just didn't know at the time.

As far as I can tell, WDW has stopped most of these practices now

Still I wonder, are there instances where WDW is still engaged in hygiene theater?

Thanks!

I wish they would keep a lot of the cleaning protocols in place. Covid isn't the only bug around.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I wish they would keep a lot of the cleaning protocols in place. Covid isn't the only bug around.

I agree, cleaning is good. But numerous experts now say a lot of what was done is a waste of effort, effort that could be more productive elsewhere.

I'm not here to argue against cleaning, I'm only pointing out that nearly all experts now agree that a lot of what was done was ineffective.

 

[LittleBuford]

@marni1971

I would be more upset had they lifted restrictions prematurely.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

An interesting article in The Washington Post concerning "hygiene theater".

Temp checks, digital menus and 'touchless' mustard: The maddening persistence of 'hygiene theater'

The article starts with some examples:

WASHINGTON - At an ice cream shop in Rockville, Md., gloved servers scoop the frozen treat into cups, but a sign taped to the front window says "No cones: Covid." At McDonald's outlets along I-95 in Virginia, yellow police-style tape cordons off self-serve beverage stations. And at Nationals Park, baseball fans use a QR code and digital menu rather than ordering directly from the person who hands them their hot dog.​

​

None of these precautions provide meaningful protection against the spread of the coronavirus, safety experts say. Instead, they are examples of what critics call "hygiene theater," the deployment of symbolic tactics that do little to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but may make some anxious consumers feel safer.​

12 months ago I remember disinfecting my grocery bags after watching a segment by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Hey, there was a lot of fear that COVID was being spread on surfaces. We just didn't know at the time.

As far as I can tell, WDW has stopped most of these practices now

Still I wonder, are there instances where WDW is still engaged in hygiene theater?

Thanks!

Edit: One example of hygiene theater that WDW ended a few weeks ago was locking open trash cans. Personally, I don't think of it as hygiene theater because when Disney first did this, it was a best practice at the time. However, if Disney had continued this, it would be considered hygiene theater.

You left out the part where they point out some reasons for some of these things. Businesses get people back in part by making people feel safe. Sure there's some overkill, but there's not a lot of downside to being overly cautious.

Defenders of hygiene theater argue that some restrictions that seem nonsensical or outdated may nonetheless be useful in helping people dive back into society. Leininger said she isn't ready to "shame businesses for hygiene theater because I have so much empathy for employers. Sometimes the way we mitigate risk is through emotions."

Personally, I'm going to be more diligent about using hand sanitizer in the future. How often does one touch railings at WDW that thousands of other people have also touched? I think regular hand cleaning will be beneficial, and isn't something I worried about before.

 

[marni1971]

@marni1971

Good and expected. Rather get it right now than go backwards later.

 

[danlb_2000]

An interesting article in The Washington Post concerning "hygiene theater".

Temp checks, digital menus and 'touchless' mustard: The maddening persistence of 'hygiene theater'

The article starts with some examples:

WASHINGTON - At an ice cream shop in Rockville, Md., gloved servers scoop the frozen treat into cups, but a sign taped to the front window says "No cones: Covid." At McDonald's outlets along I-95 in Virginia, yellow police-style tape cordons off self-serve beverage stations. And at Nationals Park, baseball fans use a QR code and digital menu rather than ordering directly from the person who hands them their hot dog.​

​

None of these precautions provide meaningful protection against the spread of the coronavirus, safety experts say. Instead, they are examples of what critics call "hygiene theater," the deployment of symbolic tactics that do little to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but may make some anxious consumers feel safer.​

12 months ago I remember disinfecting my grocery bags after watching a segment by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Hey, there was a lot of fear that COVID was being spread on surfaces. We just didn't know at the time.

As far as I can tell, WDW has stopped most of these practices now

Still I wonder, are there instances where WDW is still engaged in hygiene theater?

Thanks!

Edit: One example of hygiene theater that WDW ended a few weeks ago was locking open trash cans. Personally, I don't think of it as hygiene theater because when Disney first did this, it was a best practice at the time. However, if Disney had continued this, it would be considered hygiene theater.

I think in some cases these procedures were put in place early on (at Disney or elsewhere) and no one has bothered to review them and make the call that they are no longer necessary.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Sure there's some overkill, but there's not a lot of downside to being overly cautious.

The downsides could become quite apparent in a fire or other emergency. A number of these solutions are not compliant with fire and life safety codes. Early on we saw some places propping open stair doors to encourage people to take them instead of elevators, but those doors are there and closed to prevent the spread of smoke and fire. Many acrylic sheets easily spread flames and are limited on how much of such materials can be present. In my experience I’ve seen a lot of small businesses rig up these frames and partitions out of cheap lumber not treated with fire retardants. Even hand sanitizer is limited in its quantities and placement. Then there are temporary/movable things like the stanchioned hand sanitizer dispensers used by Disney that are dropped into exit halls, created a hazard in the means of egress. I’ve also seen temperature scanners set up near doors where the would make it difficult for a person in a wheelchair to enter or could block egress.

 

[durangojim]

Just some food for thought. Could have sworn I heard some folks talking about this here this weekend

The downside of ditching masks: the return of colds, flu - The Boston Globe

Since the state’s mask mandate was lifted, face coverings have started to come off — and stay off. But according to infectious diseases doctors, the return of facial freedom might come with some downsides, like a resurgence in cases of the common cold and the flu.

www.bostonglobe.com

If someone doesn't want to wear a mask, that's up to them, and I certainly won't oppose that position. However, let's not pretend masks offer no benefit at all.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Just some food for thought. Could have sworn I heard some folks talking about this here this weekend

The downside of ditching masks: the return of colds, flu - The Boston Globe

Since the state’s mask mandate was lifted, face coverings have started to come off — and stay off. But according to infectious diseases doctors, the return of facial freedom might come with some downsides, like a resurgence in cases of the common cold and the flu.

www.bostonglobe.com

If someone doesn't want to wear a mask, that's up to them, and I certainly won't oppose that position. However, let's not pretend masks offer no benefit at all.

It's true. This is the longest I've gone without catching a cold.

Not that it's realistic to expect this in the future, but we could learn a few things from this pandemic. Working from home if one has a minor cold, washing hands more often, wearing a mask if sick and/or in crowded environments, etc.