We can expect to see plenty of these signs once the parks reopen While we don’t know when Walt Disney World or Disneyland will reopen, we have been given a glimpse of what we can expect once they do. Disney Parks Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pamela Hymel has released a statement on Disney Parks Blog. You can read the entire message here. I thought I’d share some of the highlights.
As expected, Dr. Hymel stated that there will most likely be a phased reopening. That means that the retail locations and restaurants could open before the parks. That is what they did at Shanghai Disney Resort, which has been a good model of what we can expect here.
Physical distancing will be a priority. This will be implemented in the parks, as well as at the hotels, restaurants, and stores. It’s hard to imagine going to Walt Disney World and not being crammed in while waiting in a line for a ride, but they are working to change things and to keep people safe. Technology will be key once Walt Disney World reopens, with the Disney apps being more important than ever.
High traffic areas will be cleaned and sanitized even more than they were before. The hand sanitizing and handwashing stations that were added before the parks closed will remain. I suspect that there will be many more of these stations once the parks are open again. There will also be extra training for the Cast Members.
I appreciate that Disney has addressed these issues. While there was nothing new in the message, it is nice to hear that Disney is hard at work, trying to come up with ways to keep people safe. I suspect that we will hear more after May 11, when Shanghai Disneyland reopens. Disney will then know what works and what might need to be changed.