Disney Mask Policy Clarity: NO Vaccination Status Check Announced

In the early afternoon of February 15, The Walt Disney World Resort announced that it was making face masks optional in all indoor and outdoor areas save for enclosed Disney transportation situations like the Monorail, Disney Skyliner, and Bus.

The caveat to this is that the loosening of restrictions is intended only for those who qualify for what is currently recognized as “fully vaccinated.”

Disney said,

Face coverings will be optional for fully vaccinated Guests in both outdoor and indoor locations. We expect Guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings in all indoor locations, including indoor attractions and theaters.

Read More: Disney World to Make Face Coverings Optional

But, how will Disney know who is “fully vaccinated” and who is not?

Regardless of vaccination status, Guests will still be able to walk around the outdoor common areas of the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs without wearing a face covering, right? So, if the mega-resort were really going to enforce this separation, they would either have to have Guests show their vaccination card at the main gate and be given some sort of identifier to show Cast Members which ones get the privilege of going maskless inside. Or, Guests would have to show their papers to Cast Members at every single doorway to an indoor location.

We can speculate how Disney is looking to keep those “not fully vaccinated” Guests under more stringent restrictions, but the fact is that The Walt Disney World Resort has not released any statement on this matter. And until Disney officials release a statement that says otherwise, those expectations for the “not fully vaccinated” will have to rely on the honor system.

If Walt Disney World were to ask Disney Park Guests for their papers, there is little doubt the mega-resort will get swift backlash from fed-up, already-impatient Guests and Florida’s State Government. Over the past year, Governor Ron DeSantis has worked to defend individuals from vaccination mandates and from having to show their personal information like a vaccination status. After all, it was due to Governor DeSantis’ efforts that Disney World suspended its vaccination mandate for its Cast Members.

Read More: Governor DeSantis Signs Bills Protecting Employees Who Refuse to Become Fully Vaccinated from COVID-19

Disney’s new face mask policy will go into effect on February 17, on the eve of 2022’s President’s Day Weekend. So we will see soon enough if Disney will simply trust “the honor system” with its Guests or not.

We at Disney Fanatic will keep our eyes on the Central Florida Theme Parks this weekend, and we will update our readers on this story as more developments come to light.