Disney World, other Orlando theme parks cut back on physical distancing, end temperature checks

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Disney, Universal and SeaWorld are changing their pandemic safety rules. Here's what a medical doctor had to say.

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The tourists from Wisconsin at the Magic Kingdom would be cheaters if the social distance marker was a start line for a race.

The family of seven didn’t wait their turn, constantly shuffling ahead where a stranger was already standing in the Haunted Mansion queue. They paid more attention to the real-life crow perched out front and the cheeky gravestones.

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Soon, that family and other theme park visitors might find it a little easier to navigate COVID-19 rules.

Restrictions designed to fight spread of the pandemic are loosening up at Orlando’s attractions as more Americans get vaccinated and coronavirus cases fall.

The latest update came Wednesday from Disney on physical distancing.

Disney disclosed in a message on its app that it plans to start limiting physical distancing to three feet in some areas of the parks, although six feet of space would still be maintained in restaurants and shops. The message, which said the changes were “gradual,” did not mention ride lines.

Disney’s move comes after both Universal and SeaWorld have already cut physical distancing from six to three feet in some areas.

When it comes to temperature checks to allow visitors to enter, all three major parks, Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, either have already eliminated them or are planning to do so soon.

Getting rid of temperature checks makes sense because, in reality, it’s more like COVID-19 theater — more fanfare than actually stopping the virus, said Dr. Michael Teng of USF Health.

“It’s not a great public health measure to see whether or not somebody has COVID,” said Teng, who has studied respiratory viruses for 25 years and is an associate dean at the College of Medicine. “I agree with getting rid of the temperature checks. It’s just makes another bottleneck where we’re going to have lots of people grouped together, which is worse.”

The reason why temperature checks are ineffective is people could walk up with a fever from a common cold or elevated body heat from a humid Florida day while those who really do have the COVID-19 virus might not show any symptoms, he said.

When it comes to physical distancing, several parkgoers told the Sentinel plenty of Universal and Disney visitors already have ignored the six-feet markers in ride lines, which sometimes created tense moments with grumblings and dirty looks.

Teng stressed people in outdoor spaces at theme parks are at low risk for contracting COVID.

“If you’re outside walking around, even if it’s a little crowded, the actual relative risk is pretty low because you’re walking around and there’s wind blowing,” Teng said.

The theme parks, all built with indoor rides, shops and restaurants, aren’t strictly outdoors, so it’s still important to wear a mask, Teng said. If an indoor space is well-ventilated, that makes a difference, too.

“It’s really about time and space, so how much time are you spending in close proximity to others?” Teng said. “I think the real problem comes is when you’re in a theater... because you’re sitting there for 20 or 30 minutes next to a lot of people. That’s when you might be a little bit more careful. That’s a higher risk.”

Live indoor entertainment is still limited at the theme parks but the Animal Kingdom’s Lion King-inspired show returned for the first this month since the pandemic. Disney has limited attendance to the 30-minute show, according to the company’s website.

Masks next to go?

One big question lingers: What about masks?

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased some of the recommendations on mask-wearing for fully vaccinated Americans. People who are fully vaccinated and are outdoors alone or in small groups no longer need to cover up although masks are still recommended in crowded venues.

The CDC didn’t respond to a Sentinel request Wednesday if theme parks, which are currently operating at limited capacity, should be considered a crowded venue.

Across Central Florida, there are signs the mask rules are starting to go.

The University of Central Florida said Tuesday students are no longer required to wear masks, effective immediately, calling them optional.

With nearly 50% of eligible Orange County residents vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccines, health officials are also getting closer to loosening up county rules so people can go outside without facial coverings, Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday.

Taking off his mask at the parks can’t come soon enough for Kolby Urban, an annual passholder at Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld.

The iconic Mickey Mouse balloons on sale at the Magic Kingdom in February. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

“When you go to a place that you know there are going to be crowds like a theme park, you’re assuming a risk anyways,” said Urban, a St. Cloud resident who works in construction and is fully vaccinated. “I think that our risk tolerance should be higher and higher as more people get vaccinated.”

Especially since by now, the vaccine is widely available, so those who wanted to get their shots have already gotten them, he said.

Urban said he wishes the parks would loosen their strict mask enforcement at least in the outdoor areas. Already in May, temperatures are hitting the 90s in Orlando. Covering your face is uncomfortable in that kind of heat, he said.

The Sentinel has previously reported about tourists’ angry reactions to theme park staff enforcing the COVID-19 rules, which in a handful of cases has led to arrests.

“I know they’re just enforcing the rules and doing their job, but I have seen other guests treat employees badly,” Urban said. “Relaxing the rules would make it easier on employees as well.”

The great social experiment

Disney World is supposed to be the ultimate fantasy, a place to escape reality. But on his recent trip last month, Sean Nyberg noticed the parks illuminated the real world in pandemic times.

“So many different people come to the parks. You get people who don’t believe in it, you get people who are strict rule followers, and everyone in between. It’s interesting to see how people interact,” said Nyberg, a retired attorney from California who is now a parks reporter for The DisInsider website. “It’s like a microcosm of the whole country.”

A few tugged on their masks, their nostrils constantly exposed. You could hear them complain to their family when an employee reminded them to cover up their noses, he said.

Others stood perfectly placed on the social distance marker in the ride line, waiting for the person ahead to move.

Some, perhaps overcome by the humidity and a sugar overload, didn’t always pay attention to where they were standing, although it didn’t seem intentional.

Nyberg says he believes Disney and Universal have handled the pandemic the best they can.

Going from a months-long shutdown, the first one in the parks’ history, to reopening again, “There’s no script for this. It’s going to be clunky,” Nyberg said. " I think they’ve done a great job ... sort of having to create rules as they go along.”

grusson@orlandosentinel.com