News Disneyland modifies mask policy - UPDATE 7/28/21

[mickEblu]

There’s no way people are going to honor Disney’s wishes. There will be plenty of people showing up who not only haven’t been vaccinated, but don’t plan to get vaccinated, and will not be wearing masks because of “freedoms.”

Or because we just don’t want to for various reasons. Doesn’t have to be a big political statement

 

[October82]

I just read about the delta variant in China. It doesn’t sound fun at all and it’s very concerning.

If the early estimates of the reproductive number for the delta variant are accurate, we will need to achieve a 80-90% vaccination rate to prevent widespread community transmission.

I suspect we will see seasonal masking and social distancing, at least for the next year or two.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Or because we just don’t want to for various reasons. Doesn’t have to be a big political statement

That as well. However, let’s not pretend the whole “freedom” thing isn’t one of the leading cries of anti-maskers. Because it is. I’m simply repeating what they’ve said. It was mentioned here in this forum last year and recently in this thread.

 

[Californian Elitist]

If the early estimates of the reproductive number for the delta variant are accurate, we will need to achieve a 80-90% vaccination rate to prevent widespread community transmission.

I suspect we will see seasonal masking and social distancing, at least for the next year or two.

Fine by me.

 

[ParkPeeker]

Or because we just don’t want to for various reasons. Doesn’t have to be a big political statement

It depends on how those “various reasons” are seen, whether or not they are seen as valid.

Because if they aren’t seen as valid, then that statement of “we just don’t want to for various reasons” just sounds like “because of freedom to choose for ourselves(disregarding how it affects others)”

Even more than just the effectiveness of the mask, but also the severity of the virus. This is something this is determined by age and health. So of course, a nursing home should absolutely require masks because the elderly are far more susceptible to the need of hospitalization or dying from contracting the virus. On the opposite end, however, children are known to handle the virus much better and are far less likely to transmit it, so requiring masks in a school is much less needed, and often times can be cruel when the children are very young or have special needs.

On average, though, and I'm struggling to find the exact number, but I believe it's estimated about 0.5% who contract Covid will die of it, which is a very tiny percentage overall. So, if somebody says "You know what? That's not that bad," and they are perfectly comfortable risking getting the virus by going to Disneyland, or to Home Depot, or Ralph's, and those around them feel the same way, I think that's the right of the individual, and likewise it's the right of the individual to go elsewhere.

I do have other things to get to so I don't want to spend all night going back and forth about a mask mandate that won't exist in an hour and a half, but at the end of the day I just think it's a personal decision and we, as a country, need to be more respectful to those who choose to wear and those who don't. Everybody has their reasons and each person has a story. You will not be damned to hell just because you took your mask off at the supermarket, and you won't be meeting St. Peter at those Pearly Gates just because you wore your mask alone in your car, or vice-versa. Unless you're out there, knowingly having the virus, not wearing a mask, and coughing on old people in nursing homes, I don't see any reason to label a family not wearing their mask at Disneyland, vaccinated or not, as evil.

I don’t agree fully, and will have to delve more into it to know how much I agree, but like you said we don’t have all the time in the world, so likewise no promises that I continue. I do appreciate you taking the time to write those points though.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I do want to say that experiencing Disneyland with masks doesn’t sound fun. At all. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve had no desire to return anytime soon. I respect and agree with the mask mandate. But I don’t want to walk around the parks with a mask on. My sister commented that today was the perfect day for Disneyland. The weather was nice today, albeit too warm, but I imagined walking around in the heat for hours with a mask on and I respectfully disagreed with her. No, thanks.

I’d rather wait longer for the pandemic to slow down more and I don’t think now is that time. However, I am looking forward to that time coming, personally.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I’m still amazed by the discourse over masks. That anyone can be so vehemently anti-mask. It’s mind boggling to me, when they are an obvious and clearly important tool to be used during a pandemic.

When we started politicizing a pandemic and masks is when I realized the human race is truly doomed to fail one day.

 

[TP2000]

I’m fully aware that I’m going to die at some point. However, I like to take precautions that will prolong my life, such as eating healthy as much as possible, working out, wearing seatbelts when I ride with someone in a car, take vitamins, and now wearing masks, among other things.

I stay doing me.

Well, if you are doing all those things, you won't die of Covid at your young age.

The median age of death for Covid patients is around 80 years old. With an average of 3 co-morbidities, not to mention the fact they are 80 years old, which is a walking morbidity in itself. (Trust me, I know) But the co-morbidities in Covid patients generally are: Diabetes, heart disease, obesity, lung disease.

So if you are the lovely young vaccinated lady you seem to be in your photos, and you have no co-morbidites, you don't need to wear a mask. Unless the goal is to never catch a cold ever again, as well as never let anyone ever see your face again. That seems silly to me.

But again, you do you. I'm going maskless on Tuesday all over town! Gotta let my fans see my smiling face!

 

[TP2000]

I’m still amazed by the discourse over masks. That anyone can be so vehemently anti-mask. It’s mind boggling to me, when they are an obvious and clearly important tool to be used during a pandemic.

When we started politicizing a pandemic and masks is when I realized the human race is truly doomed to fail one day.

The thing is that here in the USA most of us are now vaccinated, or already had it. Or both. We follow the science in the USA. I get it that in Europe and Canada where vaccinations are months behind the USA that masks are still needed. But not here in America, not now. It's over.

Why the EU, Canada, Australia etc. didn't have an Operation Warp Speed for vaccines is beyond me. What were those leaders doing?!?

A vaccinated person does not need to wear a mask. We honor the Science in the United States. Masks are no longer needed.

Vaccination Rates of Population - June 14th, 2021
United Kingdom = 44.9% Fully Vaccinated
United States = 43.7% Fully Vaccinated
European Union = 24.7% Fully Vaccinated
Mexico = 11.5% Fully Vaccinated
Canada = 8.1% Fully Vaccinated
Japan = 4.1% Fully Vaccinated
Australia = 0.1% Fully Vaccinated

More Than 12.7 Billion Shots Given: Covid-19 Tracker

Bloomberg counted up the shots administered in 184 countries and 59 US states and territories

www.bloomberg.com

 

[TP2000]

So I can walk into any business in California maskless tmrw? Glorious.

Yup! I saved up all my errands just for Tuesday. I've got a fun outfit to wear. It's a big day.

I think California is the last state in the union to drop its statewide mask mandate. A friend said Hawaii and us were the last ones, but Hawaii already stopped? It must pain Sacramento to give up on this control, but they can't really stretch this out any longer. Covid is over.

When I was in Idaho a few weeks ago, absolutely no one wore masks, and all of that dorky Social Distancing theater was non-existent.

 

[TP2000]

You are very welcome!

I'm not even in my 30s and I had to watch the pound sign become the "hash tag" as well as many other weird changes.

I'm more traditional in that I remember language/grammar from when I was originally taught and don't like changing.

Every single time I sign for my prescription at CVS and completely botch my cursive on that little computer pad with that useless fake pen, I apologize silently to my 4th grade teacher Miss Marsh who was very strict in teaching us proper cursive.

Miss Marsh must have passed on many decades ago (she was no spring chicken when I was in 4th grade, and back then we didn't have the Ms. label to apply to, um, older unmarried ladies who lived alone with a couple of Dobermans, so she was still called a Miss), but if Miss Marsh could see the formless scratches we are all forced to do now on those little signature computer pads she'd absolutely explode!

 

[el_super]

There’s no way people are going to honor Disney’s wishes. There will be plenty of people showing up who not only haven’t been vaccinated, but don’t plan to get vaccinated, and will not be wearing masks because of “freedoms.”

Yeah ... But at this point the aberrant behavior is baked into the planning. They know people will lie, they know people will still catch the virus and cpupd still die from it, bit at this point the hospitals wont be overwhelmed, and society is mostly protected.

The real tragedy isn't that people are going to lie to get into an open Disneyland today, it's that Disneyland couldn't open for a YEAR because too many people can't be trusted to do the right thing. Social distancing and other mitigation strategies wouldn't work on a whole, because people wouldn't take them seriously.

Lessons learned for next time I guess...

 

[Californian Elitist]

Well, if you are doing all those things, you won't die of Covid at your young age.

The median age of death for Covid patients is around 80 years old. With an average of 3 co-morbidities, not to mention the fact they are 80 years old, which is a walking morbidity in itself. (Trust me, I know) But the co-morbidities in Covid patients generally are: Diabetes, heart disease, obesity, lung disease.

So if you are the lovely young vaccinated lady you seem to be in your photos, and you have no co-morbidites, you don't need to wear a mask. Unless the goal is to never catch a cold ever again, as well as never let anyone ever see your face again. That seems silly to me.

But again, you do you. I'm going maskless on Tuesday all over town! Gotta let my fans see my smiling face!

My posts indicated that I will be wearing masks mostly to refrain from catching the usual illnesses that I tend to catch each year and to keep my allergies at bay. I’m not surprised that you may find that silly but I don’t care.

You didn’t have to tell me you’re going to stop wearing masks. I knew that.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Covid is over.

I'm sure there are a lot of devastated people right now.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Most guests of all ages at WDW are choosing to go maskless today. CMs are not policing and were trained not to. We will see if DL does the same this morning. I expect it will.

 

[Tamandua]

It must pain Sacramento to give up on this control, but they can't really stretch this out any longer. Covid is over.

Not really. Despite declaring today a "full reopening," Gavin Newsom continues to hold onto his emergency powers. California is in its 15th straight month of being in a "state of emergency." There's no reason to have a state of emergency for anywhere near that long. There's been ample time for the legislative branch in California to adopt and constantly revise standards over the course of this time... Why does the governor get to continue to dictate what everyone can and can't do? A state of emergency that lasts forever is not an emergency. I'm afraid that governors across the country are going to use covid and other illnesses to justify this permanent power grab.

 

[mharrington]

I think the concept is a bit flawed. Isn't it possible that guests who are not fully vaccinated will lie and say that they are fully vaccinated so they won't have to wear a mask anymore? I think they should be required to show proof of some kind so that no one will abuse the system.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think the concept is a bit flawed. Isn't it possible that guests who are not fully vaccinated will lie and say that they are fully vaccinated so they won't have to wear a mask anymore? I think they should be required to show proof of some kind so that no one will abuse the system.

Imagine the lines to get in. They are awful as it is. At some point, decision-making has to return to people. Disney does not want to touch this issue. Governor’s won’t even mention bringing a vaccine passport anymore. It is now up to the individual to determine how much risk they are willing to take leaving the house.

 

[cmwade77]

Not really. Despite declaring today a "full reopening," Gavin Newsom continues to hold onto his emergency powers. California is in its 15th straight month of being in a "state of emergency." There's no reason to have a state of emergency for anywhere near that long. There's been ample time for the legislative branch in California to adopt and constantly revise standards over the course of this time... Why does the governor get to continue to dictate what everyone can and can't do? A state of emergency that lasts forever is not an emergency. I'm afraid that governors across the country are going to use covid and other illnesses to justify this permanent power grab.

Which is why in other states, their legislatures have overridden states of emergency when they felt it went on too long. They could do the same here, but they won't.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

That’s more a staffing issue.

Not just staffing (which is huge). We're waiting for Cal-OSHA to issue new guidelines, which the Governor has promised to fast track. This will impact restaurants especially. Currently there are strict limits on how many staff can be in the kitchen. This is why you see so few entrees offered on the menus. In addition, they have chosen the least labor-intensive offerings.