‘The consequences are huge’

Parks face massive task in reopening, enforcing rules in coronavirus world

As Orlando’s theme parks reopen in the coming days and weeks, they will face their toughest challenges ever as the coronavirus pandemic continues, tourism industry experts warn.

Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld must get their massive operations up and running again after more than 2 1⁄2 months of shutdown.

Theme parks will be different places, with masks required and limited crowds, and questions linger about whether consumers will feel safe enough to return, as health experts warn that a second wave of the virus is likely.

Theme park consultant Dennis Speigel senses the uncertainty when he talks to park operators.

“I’ve never heard such fear in their voices,” said Speigel, who runs International Theme Park Services.

Added to the complexity will be the enforcement of new safety rules.

Disney historian Richard Foglesong says Disney faces little government oversight to make sure it follows its safety plans moving forward.

“We’re talking maybe millions of people coming into our community highly contagious over a period of time .. Disney World is the largest attraction in the United States. It’s like having a Super Bowl every week,” said Foglesong, the author of “Married to the Mouse,” a detailed political account of Disney World’s creation. “The consequences are huge.”

In media interviews, Walt Disney Co. Bob Chapek vows Orlando theme parks are safe and ready to reopen in July.

“We’ve done everything we can to open up responsibly,” Chapek told CNN. Disney declined the Orlando Sentinel’s request to make Chapek available this past week for an interview.

Trust in Disney

The theme parks, particularly Disney, operate largely free of government regulation.

After Walt Disney Co. announced it would open a theme park in Florida, the theme park operator got its own autonomous government, created by the state in 1967.

Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District builds its own roads, hires firefighters and handles other infrastructure needs on its sprawling property.

In addition, state ride inspectors don’t visit Disney World or any of the state’s biggest theme

parks. The parks handle their own ride inspections, although they selfreport the basic details when someone is seriously hurt.

Yet, something happened in recent days that Foglesong called unprecedented as Disney “was required to submit to an external control,” he said.

Disney World leaders voluntarily shut down the parks March 16, before any Orange County or statewide stay-at-home order existed. Disney took action as fears of large crowds spreading the disease grew.

But to reopen, Disney and the other parks have had to submit their plans first to Orange County and then to Gov. Ron DeSantis, under an executive order signed by the governor as part of his plan to restart the economy.

Foglesong said the process has raised concerns.

The discussions by an Orange County task force set up to consider the plans centered on new social distancing signs or mask requirements in a post-coronavirus world, Foglesong noted. Yet, little was said on monitoring and government oversight. What if visitors are defiant of the masks? Or the crowds aren’t spread out? Will the government monitor the parks’ safety plans and make sure the rules are obeyed?

“I don’t want to sound terribly anti-Disney, but it is a substantial amount of faith that’s being placed on them,” Foglesong said.

Chapek touted the company’s reputation, vowing not to misstep in a post-coronavirus world.

“There are not many companies in the world that are trusted as much as the Walt Disney Company,” Chapek told Bloomberg. “It’s a trust we will not in any way violate.”

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said governments have the power to regulate theme parks and hold them accountable for their safety plans.

At a news conference, Demings spoke of “shared responsibilities” of enforcement among several state and local regulatory agencies, including the Department of Health, which inspects restaurants, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which handles licenses.

In Orange County, deputies or code enforcement officials could also investigate, said Demings, a member of the task force.

“We depend on the public to invoke a certain amount of peer pressure to get compliance with the directives we have put in place,” Demings added.

Orange County health officials will also pay close attention to the theme parks.

Dr. Raul Pino, Orange’s officer for the Florida Department of Health, said he plans to visit the amusement parks once they open to observe how the public is following the rules. He compared his presence to a “secret shopper.”

“Could we see an increase in the number of cases? Yes, we could,” Pino said during a recent press conference. “That’s why we’re so actively watching that data.”

Many consumers aren’t sure that reopening businesses will enforce safety and sanitary precautions. Out of 15,000 respondents, 64% said they were concerned or very concerned about the issue, according to survey released by the Orange County economic recovery task force.

One task force member tried to press Disney on the consequences if guests won’t follow the rules, especially masks.

“We have strong language that says (masks) are required when you enter into the property,” said Jim MacPhee, senior vice president of operations for Walt Disney World. “We haven’t encountered any specific issues over the course of the last week (at Disney Springs) when someone didn’t comply.”

Disney will deploy employees in a “social distancing squad” to “politely but effectively” enforce the rules, MacPhee said. In addition, some areas will be designated “relaxation zones” if people need to take off masks for a break.

Disney and Universal spokespeople declined to comment when the Sentinel asked if people would be kicked out of the parks if they won’t follow the rules that include wearing masks. SeaWorld did not respond.

“We believe our guests will want to observe CDC guidelines and do what is right for their families, friends and others,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said in a statement. “We have had the same policy at Universal CityWalk since it has begun to reopen and it is working well and without incident.”

At the May 27 meeting, about half-dozen task force members unanimously approved Disney World’s reopening plans, while 11 other members abstained. Those who declined to vote were business leaders at the theme parks or corporations that had ties to Disney. Foglesong called that another problem with the process.

Will tourists come back?

Think of Walt Disney World theme parks as a giant steam engine, always churning. In the worst times in American history, that engine may have sputtered, slowing down, but it’s never stopped completely, until now. A July 11 opening means the Magic Kingdom has stood empty for 118 days.

“We’ve never had an extended closure. I don’t think people realize how monumental this is,” said Scott Smith, an associate hospitality professor at the University of South Carolina who used to live in Orlando. “Disney basically stopped all the operations.”

With four theme parks, 28 hotels and fleets of buses, monorails and gondolas, Disney World doesn’t just turn back on like a light switch, Scott said.

The rides and transportation must be retested. The employees, who are furloughed and may have found other jobs after losing their paychecks, must be called back. And the restaurants may need to reorder food after donating it or throwing it away without any customers to service, Scott said.

Disney has survived — and flourished — after past economic downturns that lasted for months or years. Disney’s revenues fell after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the great recession of 2007. Until the crowds returned, Disney responded by closing hotel rooms, laying off employees, cutting entertainment and shortening park hours, according to Sentinel reporting in those years.

But the coronavirus pandemic, which reached a dark milestone of 100,000 dead in the United States, poses an uncertainty deeper beyond economic cycles of good times and bad times.

“The biggest question is, will the people come back?” Speigel said. In many American families, “Mom is a decision-maker. Is she going to let the kids and the family and be packed into tight places? I don’t think so.”

In an interview with CNBC, Chapek was asked if all the restrictions would keep customers away.

“I don’t think so,” said.

He said Disney World had retained many reservations from tourists who had the option to cancel for refunds and that response in its Shanghai theme park and at Disney Springs had been “really, really encouraging.”

“I think the world is ready to get back to some magic, and Disney can certainly provide that magic,” he said. he