Samuel Case, FISM News

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After remaining closed for over four months, Disney World is once again opening its doors to visitors. The theme park officially shut its gates back in March to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, but now it’s reopening, with new health safety guidelines to mitigate the risk of infection. 

For now, the park is requiring reservations to enter the park in order to keep the number of guests at a level where social distancing is possible. Unfortunately for some this means going to gates to purchase same-day tickets is out of the question for the time being. The park will also be enforcing social distancing and instruct guests how to space out via markers on the ground. In areas where social distancing is difficult, such as at cash registers, barriers have been put in place. Masks are now mandatory (unless swimming or eating) and all visitors require temperature checks to enter the premises.

In an interview with the New York Time, Disney’s theme park chairman, Josh D’Amaro addressed the park’s reopening amidst COVID-19 saying, “The world is changing around us, but we strongly believe that we can open safely and responsibly . . . we have a responsibility to figure out the best approach to safely operate in this new normal.” According to Disney Parks Chief Medical Office Dr. Pamela Hymel staff have also “increased cleaning and disinfecting . . . so we can all enjoy the magic responsibly.” Further information can be found about the park’s increased health safety measures in Dr. Hymel’s company blog post.

Currently only two of Disney World’s four parks are open. Both the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are welcoming guests, but the Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will remain closed until Wednesday. 

Sourced from NPR, Disney Parks Websites, Yahoo News