ORLANDO, Fla:
Walt Disney World in Florida is making it easier to see smiles again, but guests still can’t hug the characters.
Starting Tuesday, face masks will be optional for visitors to the theme park resort who are vaccinated, though Disney workers won’t require proof of vaccination, the company said on its website.
Visitors who aren’t fully vaccinated still will need to wear face masks indoors and on all rides and attractions. Because vaccines aren’t yet available for children under age 12, they too will have to mask up still.
All visitors, whether vaccinated or not, will still be required to wear face coverings on buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner, the resort’s aerial gondola, according to the latest guidelines.
The decision on masks is Disney World’s latest tweak to the virus-related safety rules it created when the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March 2020. Disney World closed for two months last year at the start of the outbreak and reopened last summer with strict safety guidelines that involved masking, social distancing and crowd limits.
Last month, Disney officials started allowing visitors to go without masks outdoors. (AP)