News Disney mask policy at Walt Disney World theme parks

[DisneyCane]

I do think it will go soon, but we're still over 2 weeks out from when the mandate is scheduled to drop

Because, as has been said many times before, Disney transportation is under federal guidance and they must adhere to the mask policy on all federal transportation systems. This happened after the 2009 fatal monorail crash. As long as they're required in an airplane they're going to be required in Disney transportation. However, it's supposed to drop in another 16 days anyway.

I'm still not convinced the federal transportation mandate will be allowed to expire on 3/18. I know it is a lot closer to the deadline than the prior extension but I just have a gut feeling that an extension will be announced in the coming days.

I think it wasn't announced sooner because they didn't want to interrupt the news momentum about dropping mitigations and "beating COVID" in advance of the SOTU address. Now that the speech is past there can be a quite announcement of a 2 or 3 month extension that will get lost in the Ukraine news.

If I had to make odds, I'd make "extension" a 2 to 1 favorite.

 

[DisneyFan32]

I'm still not convinced the federal transportation mandate will be allowed to expire on 3/18. I know it is a lot closer to the deadline than the prior extension but I just have a gut feeling that an extension will be announced in the coming days.

I think it wasn't announced sooner because they didn't want to interrupt the news momentum about dropping mitigations and "beating COVID" in advance of the SOTU address. Now that the speech is past there can be a quite announcement of a 2 or 3 month extension that will get lost in the Ukraine news.

If I had to make odds, I'd make "extension" a 2 to 1 favorite.

When NJ Transit will lift mask mandate soon this month so I don't wear mask while riding train to NYC in this summer as COVID-19 will be no longer be a threat anymore.

 

[correcaminos]

I'm still not convinced the federal transportation mandate will be allowed to expire on 3/18. I know it is a lot closer to the deadline than the prior extension but I just have a gut feeling that an extension will be announced in the coming days.

I think it wasn't announced sooner because they didn't want to interrupt the news momentum about dropping mitigations and "beating COVID" in advance of the SOTU address. Now that the speech is past there can be a quite announcement of a 2 or 3 month extension that will get lost in the Ukraine news.

If I had to make odds, I'd make "extension" a 2 to 1 favorite.

As for if it will drop? Extending it just a week or so on advance would be unwise. If they were going to extend it should've been done at minimum a week or 2 ago. Most of the US is not suggested to mask so why hold it for a minority as well? Extending days before it ends in the middle of spring break travel would cause a lot of chaos. We're not in chaos mode now IMO

 

[danlb_2000]

Why is this thread still relevant. Masks are done and never coming back.

I wouldn't put money on that. If there is another fall surge I could see them coming back.

 

[DisneyFan32]

I wouldn't put money on that. If there is another fall surge I could see them coming back.

No no more another fall surge. We're done with masks EVER! No more mask mandates!

 

[G00fyDad]

No no more another fall surge. We're done with masks EVER! No more mask mandates!

While I do hope they are gone for good I think you are setting yourself up for disappointment. If things get bad again then they might come back.

 

[Andrew C]

I wouldn't put money on that. If there is another fall surge I could see them coming back.

I don't think anyone should be sitting around waiting for a new variant to emerge. The powers that be should be prepared for one more than in previous instances, however. I am sticking to my position about omicron being our way out of this...we will see what happens.

 

[CJR]

I think mandates as we've seen them are coming to an end, but I do see pressure ahead, in certain cases, to mask up. You will probably see "highly recommended" in the future. CDC will probably recommend masks in the future, however, it's the enforcement that I believe will be different.

 

[drnilescrane]

I'm still not convinced the federal transportation mandate will be allowed to expire on 3/18. I know it is a lot closer to the deadline than the prior extension but I just have a gut feeling that an extension will be announced in the coming days.

I think it wasn't announced sooner because they didn't want to interrupt the news momentum about dropping mitigations and "beating COVID" in advance of the SOTU address. Now that the speech is past there can be a quite announcement of a 2 or 3 month extension that will get lost in the Ukraine news.

If I had to make odds, I'd make "extension" a 2 to 1 favorite.

POLITICO Pro: Biden administration evaluating mask mandate on public transportation, airlines

“More to come on that,” Walensky said during the team’s scheduled briefing.

subscriber.politicopro.com

It's gone from "The federal mask mandate is still in place and we have nothing to announce" to "we're going to evaluate it in in the coming weeks" to "more to come on that" within the last 2 weeks.

That's a pretty clear inching towards letting the mandate expire. It'll probably be like the cruise line conditional sail order where they announce they aren't extending it ~72-48 hours before it expires.

If you announce it now it'll cause chaos, you'll have Sara Nelson all over TV complaining, not worth it with a baked in expiry date.

 

[drnilescrane]

Mask mandates expired in Chicago (and Illinois) on Monday. I still wear at work and on CTA.

I would say at least 90% of people still have them on in the stores even when not required. We do not and it feels like people do stare. I say it's because I'm so stunning, but perhaps not. I'm sure it's in our heads, no one is looking, but I do feel odd. But I'll get used to it again.

People will slowly take them off, I'm sure.

Yeah it probably took 2-3 months in Florida when it first dropped to go from 90% to <10%. Places like Chicago and LA just haven't had long enough without mandates for it to really take.

 

[Andrew C]

Friends traveling for summer will be happy. Our spring break is in like 10 days so doesn't help some for that. We have kids we know wearing masks to make sure they're safe to go almost all the time in public

DW and I have a trip booked in May. First time. One less thing…

 

[correcaminos]

DW and I have a trip booked in May. First time. One less thing…

Hope you enjoy your trip! I am not sure I'd feel safe traveling under these rules. I know some who either tested positive or didn't get results back in time and trip was canceled. I feel for friends going at the end of next week. Definitely not a time when I would even bat an eye if someone is masked a lot to keep from testing positive. It would suck to cancel. So glad yours will be so much easier.

I have heard that Columbus is planning to drop their mandate next week sometime. Seems like again mask mandates drop after a trip. Not complaining. Still wish we didn't have to bring for buses only but....

 

[Indy_UK]

Instagram accounts seem to show that Character hugging is back in Disneyland Paris so hopefully won't be too long for WDW

 

[ToTBellHop]

Nowhere on Earth? surely you troll

While the claim may be hyperbolic, I can’t fathom guests being shooed away from characters for much longer.

 

[DisneyCane]

I wonder how much input transportation businesses have in it. If airlines for example choose to continue the requirement after the mandate is dropped, will it cause more passengers to be ehhh, jerks?

The main reason that the airlines supported the federal mandate was so they could tell passengers it was federal law (even though it isn't really) to make it easier to enforce. All US airlines had a mask policy since April or May 2020.

I don't envy the flight attendants on any airline that keeps a mask requirement after the federal mandate expires (if they don't extend it). There will definitely be people who refuse to wear one and then point to the fact that it is no longer a federal requirement.

Personally, I won't book future travel on an airline that keeps the requirement if others do not but if I'm on a flight I already booked I'm not going to make an issue out of it. However, I fly frequently so getting banned from an airline would be a somewhat big consequence for me. However, anti-maskers who don't fly often won't care about that especially if they are on the return leg.

 

[GimpYancIent]

The main reason that the airlines supported the federal mandate was so they could tell passengers it was federal law (even though it isn't really) to make it easier to enforce. All US airlines had a mask policy since April or May 2020.

I don't envy the flight attendants on any airline that keeps a mask requirement after the federal mandate expires (if they don't extend it). There will definitely be people who refuse to wear one and then point to the fact that it is no longer a federal requirement.

Personally, I won't book future travel on an airline that keeps the requirement if others do not but if I'm on a flight I already booked I'm not going to make an issue out of it. However, I fly frequently so getting banned from an airline would be a somewhat big consequence for me. However, anti-maskers who don't fly often won't care about that especially if they are on the return leg.

I have not flown for over a decade now. Flying, at one time, was actually a pleasurable part of travel, but over time passengers went from being treated as valued customers to being treated like livestock. The security measures, though justifiable and necessary, did not help and now the COVID issues / protocols have further added to the misery. Airlines have been doing copious amounts of bragging about the medical grade air filtration systems on the aircraft all during the pandemic, how miniscule the possibility of COVID19 circulating within the aircraft due to this air filtration system. Then why the masks? All I am saying is you treat people in dehumanizing manners some that have little self-control will not react well. So, I avoid the whole thing, I travel just fine via ground transportation that I control on my own time schedule and don't have to put up with any of the headaches and heartaches of modern day air travel.

 

[DisneyCane]

I have not flown for over a decade now. Flying, at one time, was actually a pleasurable part of travel, but over time passengers went from being treated as valued customers to being treated like livestock. The security measures, though justifiable and necessary, did not help and now the COVID issues / protocols have further added to the misery. Airlines have been doing copious amounts of bragging about the medical grade air filtration systems on the aircraft all during the pandemic, how miniscule the possibility of COVID19 circulating within the aircraft due to this air filtration system. Then why the masks? All I am saying is you treat people in dehumanizing manners some that have little self-control will not react well. So, I avoid the whole thing, I travel just fine via ground transportation that I control on my own time schedule and don't have to put up with any of the headaches and heartaches of modern day air travel.

I agree with you. My trips (except to WDW) tend to be 1500-3000 miles from home. Unfortunately I don't have the time to drive and still have time for the vacation.

 

[GimpYancIent]

I agree with you. My trips (except to WDW) tend to be 1500-3000 miles from home. Unfortunately I don't have the time to drive and still have time for the vacation.

Understood. My hat is off to you for enduring the abuse it is an unfortunate reality that with distance comes a reduction of travel options to efficiently cover that distance.

 

[correcaminos]

I have not flown for over a decade now. Flying, at one time, was actually a pleasurable part of travel, but over time passengers went from being treated as valued customers to being treated like livestock. The security measures, though justifiable and necessary, did not help and now the COVID issues / protocols have further added to the misery. Airlines have been doing copious amounts of bragging about the medical grade air filtration systems on the aircraft all during the pandemic, how miniscule the possibility of COVID19 circulating within the aircraft due to this air filtration system. Then why the masks? All I am saying is you treat people in dehumanizing manners some that have little self-control will not react well. So, I avoid the whole thing, I travel just fine via ground transportation that I control on my own time schedule and don't have to put up with any of the headaches and heartaches of modern day air travel.

I love driving but I find flying the 1k miles to Florida to be much easier. Honestly masks on a 2 hr flight is nothing. I've had to wear much longer and in more physically exhausting places. Mandates aren't done so my disdain of masks doesn't even matter. I'm happy to wear if I get a real normal life otherwise.

I do expect the transportation mandates to ease soon. Too late to change dates now IMO. Could be wrong but that's my guess

 

[danlb_2000]

I love driving but I find flying the 1k miles to Florida to be much easier. Honestly masks on a 2 hr flight is nothing. I've had to wear much longer and in more physically exhausting places. Mandates aren't done so my disdain of masks doesn't even matter. I'm happy to wear if I get a real normal life otherwise.

I do expect the transportation mandates to ease soon. Too late to change dates now IMO. Could be wrong but that's my guess

I don't bother with driving or flying, train all the way for me!