Theme parks are opening too quickly
In order to help save lives in Florida, nationally, and potentially around the globe, I believe Disney and Universal parks should close and remain closed this summer.
I live part of the year in Connecticut, and part of the year in Florida (in the Disney area). With my Connecticut upbringing, I’m accustomed to strong local governance that allows for a great deal of individual engagement on political issues. This, unfortunately, could not be further from the reality here in Central Florida.
Many of the individuals on the Orlando Coronavirus Task Force making decisions regarding opening plans seemingly have a direct or indirect financial interest in seeing them reopen.
At their essences, both Disney and Universal are predicated on trying to recreate the magic of the movies. This underlying value is instilled in various cast/team members and it’s the driving force behind consumer engagement. To help mitigate a potential cataclysmic outbreak, these companies have both indicated they will follow the guidelines with mandatory mask usage.
While I support that unequivocally, I think this is a main reason why both companies need to remain closed during the summertime. Could you imagine wearing a mask for 12-plus hours/day as a guest in 100-degree heat with 100% humidity? Also, how fair is this to cast/team members who would seemingly have no choice but to comply and be subjected to such uncomfortable conditions? From either perspective, it seems completely antithetical to the type of magical experience(s) that either of the Orlando conglomerates strive for.
I went to Disney Springs on a Thursday afternoon shortly after it reopened. Upon entering the premises after a temperature check, I saw how much available room there was to walk around. However, despite the lack of crowdedness, a woman ended up running into me with her mask no longer applied while she was yelling/chasing her child to re-do their selfie shoot. It’s this type of engrossment in activity and obliviousness to ones surroundings that’s deeply concerning.
Worst yet, a manager was walking right behind me and did not at all address this blatant guidelines violation. A bit later I encountered a second issue at the Disney Marketplace Co-Op Store. At the store, I was bumped into four various times by bustling cast members. I suppose it gets tiring to remember the sixfoot social distancing rule throughout an entire day shift, but I was utterly shocked at the lack of regard for personal space.
At a time when we still are experiencing 30,000 new cases nationwide each day, the notion that we are restarting mass gatherings seems extremely concerning. Mind you, these companies implemented outright closures of their parks back in March at a time when there was only a small fraction of the new cases.
If these things continue to happen, which I think are bound to, the opportunity for outrageous exponential disease growth will present itself when all the various parks open.
Universal opened its theme parks last week, with a soft opening for passholders on June 3. YouTube videos of the security entrance that day showed a crowded, disjointed situation that was clearly not adhering to proper social distancing protocols. Because so many people were supposedly eating or drinking, many were walking around the parks without face coverings.
Wait times for attractions and food were longer because of the safety and distancing guidelines. I think the experience highlights whether families and other park goers should not only weigh the health risks of the pandemic, but should also question whether the experience is even worth it.
Disney is waiting to open its theme parks July 11 and 15. Meanwhile, it doesn’t seem logical that last week at one of my residences (in Connecticut), individuals will continue to be unable to do things such as dine inside any restaurant, whereas in Florida, we will attract visitors from all over the world to mass gather at a waterpark/theme park.
While I understand Connecticut was hit harder by the virus, it appears that one government is taking this continued threat seriously and the other is not. The fact we can allow people to attend from all over the planet, and can apparently allow for water-park enjoyment (how will masks work?), is downright unconscionable.