Spaceship Earth - Epcot

Florida Task Force Releases Guidelines for Theme Parks and Hotels to Reopen

Just over a month ago, the Walt Disney Resort closed to all guests. This meant that theme parks closed its gates and just a few days later, the hotels shut down officially. In the time that has passed since many Disney fans have speculated on when the parks may reopen and what it may look like when it officially does. This morning, we got word from a Florida task force on the requirements for these entertainment giants to reopen to the public.

On Twitter, reporter Lauren Seabrook shared the preliminary guidelines and mandates from the call. Within her thread, she shared the mandates for everything from spas to dental offices and nearly everything in between. Of course, these guidelines can evolve as time goes on, but as of today here are the guidelines for restaurants, hotels, and theme parks.

Large Theme Parks (Disney, Universal)

  • Guidelines:
    • Tape marking of 6 feet apart in ride/attraction queues
    • Staff to regularly wipe down surfaces at random
    • Phase 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
  • Mandates:
    • All employees required to wear facemasks
    • Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles
    • Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit
    • Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
    • Wipe down of all railing and surfaces regularly
    • Phase 1: 50% capacity
    • Phase 2: 75% capacity

Small Theme Parks (Funspot, Gatorland)

  • Guidelines:
    • Tape marking of 6 feet apart in ride/attraction queues
    • Staff to regularly wipe down surfaces at random
    • Phase 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
  • Mandates:
    • All employees required to wear facemasks
    • Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles
    • Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit
    • Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
    • Wipe down of all railing and surfaces regularly
    • Phase 1: 50% capacity
    • Phase 2: 75% capacity

Hotels

  • Guidelines:
    • Phase 1: Housekeeping services to be limited and allow for minimal guest and employee exposure
    • Phase 1: Promote, if available, mobile check-in
    • Phase 1: Housekeeping services only clean upon request, or when guests depart
    • Phase 1: Allow employees to work from home if not playing a critical role in serving guests
    • Phase 1: Only deliver room service to the guest’s door
    • Phase 1: Provide self-parking
    • Promote social distancing for all guests and staff
    • Recommended touchless sanitizer at entry
    • Increase cleaning services/additional sanitation services through cleaning companies
    • Phase 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
  • Mandates:
    • All employees required to wear facemasks
    • Hand sanitizer at the entry to be in plain visible sight
    • Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
    • All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home
    • Front desk to sanitize themselves on a regular basis
    • Consistent cleaning of all guest areas
    • Front desk to utilize sneeze-guards
    • Remove all service items in guest rooms to include glassware, coffee cups, etc.
    • Minibars not to be stocked
    • Do no offer self food services
    • Space pool furniture according to distancing guidelines
    • Pool gates and pool chairs to be sanitized regularly
    • Door handles, elevator button and railing to be sanitized regularly
    • Remove all coffee makers from guest rooms
    • Remove all guest collateral items, except for those that are single-use
    • Sanitize guest keys before and after each use
    • Sanitize bell carts after each use
    • Phase 1 & 2: No conferences

Restaurants

  • Guidelines:
    • Paper/disposable menus
    • Encourage takeout/online orders
    • Touchless sanitizer at entry
    • Phase 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
  • Mandates:
    • Hand sanitizer at every table
    • Hand sanitizer at entry to be in plain visible sight
    • All employees required to wear facemasks
    • Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
    • All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home
    • Doors to be wiped regularly
    • All staff behind counters must wear gloves (except for bartenders)
    • Bartenders to sanitize hands after making each drink order
    • Seated tables to be six feet apart
    • Phase 1: Limit restaurant and bar capacity to 50%
    • Phase 2: Limit restaurant and bar capacity to 75%

The biggest takeaways are that Disney will have to limit capacity in a way we have never seen before. The average day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom sees attendance soar well over 50%. Of course, everything that has come out of the Florida Task Force this morning is preliminary so this could all change as things continue to develop. It is reassuring to see that there are new guidelines being developed so that the parks can reopen safely. It is also expected that Governor Ron DeSantis will make an announcement tomorrow on when the state of Florida will reopen businesses and operations throughout the state. This could mean that tomorrow, April 29, we have a better idea of when we will see Walt Disney World Resort welcoming guests once again. If you want to take a look at all the guidelines and mandates that came from the Florida Task Force this morning, you can read Lauren Seabrook’s thread on Twitter here. What do you think of these new guidelines coming from the Orange County Economic Recovery Florida Task Force? Be sure to connect with us on Twitter and Facebook to let us know what you think!


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.