Tom P.
Well-Known Member
I just do no think the wider public cares about masks anymore. I really don't. The vast, vast majority of people are perfectly comfortable dropping masks altogether, as shown by their behavior when masks are optional.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
News Disney mask policy at Walt Disney World theme parks
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
- Status
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
A fair point, and yes, it does reveal an inconsistency in Disney's policies, though it doesn't undermine my suggestion that they are focused on appearing publicly safety-conscious.
It may have been a trial balloon to see if twitter had a meltdown.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
This isn't what the data shows. A recent Economist/YouGov Poll found that 36% of respondents continue to mask "all of the time" and 22% "some of the time":
https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/qwffht37bk/econTabReport.pdf (see p. 21 onward)
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
The Home Depot here in Southern Indiana and across Louisville Kentucky do not require you to wear a mask. They ask you to wear one but when you walk inside you can count on one hand how many people are actually wearing a mask. Including staff.Home Depot asks all customers to wear masks:
"As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the U.S., beginning August 2, we’ll require all associates, contractors and vendors to wear a mask while indoors at all U.S. Home Depot stores, distribution centers, office locations and customers’ homes or businesses, regardless of vaccination status. We’ll ask customers to wear masks while in our stores and continue to offer masks to those who don’t have one."
Home Depot Updates Mask Policy, Urges Vaccinations for Associates | The Home Depot
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our number one concern has been for the health and safety of our customers and associates. As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the U.S., beginning August 2, we’ll require all associates, contractors and vendors to wear a mask while...corporate.homedepot.com
True, the use of the word "asks" suggests that they won't enforce the policy beyond a point, but it's their policy nonetheless.
I knew a study was coming!!
I’m all for studies, but the eye test doesn’t agree.
If Disney dropped the mandate tomorrow I would bet the farm that nowhere near 50% of guests would be masked.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
I apologize in that I do not have the time to dig through that report right now. I trust what you said, though. My curiosity is in some of the specifics. Are the 22% continuing to mask "some of the time" because they are going places where it is required? Or is that totally voluntary masking? All I can go by is what my own personal experience is (virtually no one is wearing a mask unless required) and what other people are saying their experience is (largely the same thing).
I realize that anecdotal evidence is not statistical data. And I admit that I have not been traveling extensively this year, so even my anecdotal evidence is limited. I am totally willing to believe that I am wrong. But when I hear people from Florida to California saying that virtually no one wears masks when they are not required, I just find it hard to believe that half the country is still concerned about masking. Perhaps I am wrong. But perhaps there is more nuance to that poll data or perhaps people are telling the pollsters what they think they should be saying. I really don't know.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
It really does disturb me just how much companies pay attention to social media in general and Twitter in particular. I realize "Twitter is not real life" is a cliché at this point, but it also happens to be true. The reactions you see on Twitter do not match what is happening in the real world on pretty much anything.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
The problem with the eye test is that it is entirely subjective. We all live in different places, mix with different people, and see different things. If I were to go on my personal experience alone, I would assume that 99% of people mask indoors, but I realise that this isn't the case and prefer to put my faith in scientifically collected data.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
The nuances of the poll aside, a sizeable percentage of people (in no way am I claiming the majority) still mask. I think it's reductive and misleading for any "side" here to claim that their approach speaks for the vast majority of people. The picture is too mixed (and, regrettably, ideologically divided) to make such generalisations either way.
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
It’s also possible the 22% that say they voluntarily mask aren’t stepping foot in a busy place like Disneyland right now. People not comfortable enough to be out without a mask are also very unlikely to be in a place with 50,000 people.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
This is a very good point.
Yes, so not the people Disney should be concerned about. They are not coming anyways until this is over.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
Exactly. I just don't think the needle of public perception is going to be moved by Disney dropping the masking right now. People who are concerned even now about going maskless aren't going to be going to a theme park and probably already think it's irresponsible for Disney parks to be open and packing tens of thousands of people in. And people who are comfortable going to theme parks are not concerned about masking, as seen earlier this year when Disney relaxed the rules. I just don't think anything's going to change for Disney, from a PR standpoint, if they drop the masks. And I still think they will do it soon.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
I fall into the bolded camp but still respect the fact that Disney is treading more cautiously than its peers. My opinion means nothing by itself, of course, but I have to imagine that Disney has made a deliberate calculation to stick with its distinctive policies and that PR considerations are among the factors behind this choice. Whatever else we may disagree on, I should think none of us believes that Disney would knowingly or selflessly act against its own financial and reputational interests.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
I understand what you're saying, but I still don't think Disney has made a long-term decision to stick with their current policy. I think the dropping of masks for cast members behind-the-scenes is the first trial balloon of that. I still think they are going to be dropping masks within the next few weeks. That is totally and completely a guess on my part just based on my interpretation of current conditions as well as what others have said, but it's what I think is most likely.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
They absolutely would not have made this change if they weren’t planning further changes in the weeks ahead. The only question is, “when?”
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
It says "August 02, 2021" near the top.
If the transmission falls to moderate, then I wouldn't be surprised if Disney does indeed modify its policy.
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
To be clear, I don't think the decision is a long-term one. I'm sure Disney will change it as soon as they deem they can do so without courting bad publicity, which could happen as soon as Orange County's transmission rates are no longer substantial.
HairyChest
Well-Known Member
As soon as my family and I were fully vaccinated, we were done with masks. We wear them where required, not by choice anymore. Before that it was 100% masking indoors. Same goes for all friends family coworkers etc. Californians.
- Status