Walt Disney World plans to reopen its restaurant and entertainment area later this month, though the theme parks and hotels will remain closed.
Disney Springs vice president Matt Simon posted Thursday on the official Disney Parks Blog that the area will reopen May 20 with enhanced safety measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Those measures include increased cleaning procedures, the use of appropriate face coverings by both cast members and guests, limited-contact guest services and additional safety training for cast members.
“Following the guidance of government and health officials, a limited number of shopping and dining experiences that are owned by third-party operating participants will begin to open during this initial phase,” Simon said.
The post didn't say which businesses would open first. Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex that covers about 120 acres (49 hectares) at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Walt Disney World closed in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walt Disney World has lifted the last of its mask requirements, meaning face coverings will be optional for visitors at all locations on the central Florida Disney property.
The rule change was posted Tuesday on Disney's website. Masks are still recommended, though not required, for guests who are not fully vaccinated in indoor locations and enclosed transportation.
In February, the park made face coverings optional for fully vaccinated visitors in all indoor and outdoor locations, with the exception of enclosed transportation, such as the resort’s monorail, buses and the resort’s sky gondola. The new rule change removes the transportation exception, as well as the requirement to be vaccinated.
The change comes a day after a federal judge in Florida threw out a national mask mandate for public transportation. The ruling gives airports, mass transit systems, airlines and ride-hailing services the option to keep mask rules or ditch them entirely.
Major airlines were some of the first to update their rules after the court decision. United, Southwest, American, Alaska, Delta and JetBlue announced that effective immediately, masks would no longer be required on domestic flights. The ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber announced on their websites Tuesday that masks will now be optional while riding or driving.
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