Disney World Tweaks Mask Policy, Optional for Outdoors

Disney World Tweaks Mask Policy, Optional for Outdoors
A family walks past Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Dec. 21, 2020. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
The Associated Press
8/19/2021
Updated:
8/19/2021

ORLANDO, Fla.—Walt Disney World is tweaking its face mask policy.

Starting Thursday, the theme park resort in Florida will allow visitors to choose whether or not to wear face coverings in outdoor lines, outdoor theaters, and outdoor attractions. Masks had been required previously.

Face coverings will remain optional in outdoor common areas. They will still be required for visitors age 2 and up at all indoor locations, such as restaurants, theaters, and transportation with the exception of ferry boats.

Disney World closed for two months last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened more than a year ago with strict safety guidelines that involved masking, social distancing, and crowd limits.

Last spring, Disney World officials started allowing visitors to go without masks in outdoor common areas.

Last month, Disney officials said the company will be requiring all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the United States who work on site to be fully vaccinated.