Orange County State of Emergency Has Been Lifted, Theme Park Safety Precautions Likely to Continue

Mayor Jerry Demings of Orange County, FL shared the news earlier today that the area’s state of emergency is expiring. The state of emergency was originally announced on July 28, 2021, and has since been renewed for three months.

The county is closely following COVID-19 data trends and using this information to make decisions regarding the state of emergency and other COVID-19 regulations that are still in place. In accordance with CDC guidance and other state and local governments that have followed similar methods for decision making, Orange County’s positivity rate has remained below 5% for 17 consecutive days.

Unfortunately on the state government level, the DeSantis administration has blocked the ability for cities and counties to enact their own mask mandates. In Orange County however, Mayor Demings has always recommended wearing a mask indoors, and many individual businesses throughout the county, including the Walt Disney World Resort have followed this guidance.

As for how the expiration of the order could affect the Walt Disney World Resort, we have no official announcement from Disney on any changes, if any, that may be coming. When the order was enacted in July, Disney was quick to reinstate some aspects of their mask mandate that had since expired following the Mayor’s guidance and recommendations from the CDC.

Given the timing of the announcement that the emergency order is now expiring, and the fact that we have not heard of any updates from Walt Disney World, we do expect the park’s indoor mask mandate to remain in place for some time (though we will of course update you if this changes.) Wearing a mask indoors is recommended by the CDC, and while vaccination rates are high for most of the country, it does help to ensure that Guests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort feel safe during their visit.

If you are planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, elsewhere in Florida, or anywhere really during this time, we strongly encourage you to check local mask mandates and other COVID-19 guidance ahead of your travels.