Could Disney World require face coverings again?

Positive cases continue to rise in Florida, and the mayor of Orange County is trying to figure out how to get a mask mandate back in place. But will private businesses comply? Will Disney World require masks again?

Rising cases

Orange County, Florida (and the state in general) is currently seeing a rise in positive covid cases. The county is averaging about 1,000 new cases per day which is consistent with pre-vaccination numbers.

Roughly 61% of individuals in the county are vaccinated, but the 14-day rolling positivity rate is at 13.96%. Compare this to the 2.8% rate at the end of June, and a lot can change in one month.

Not only are the numbers increasing but so is ICU capacity. Right now, AdventHealth has moved to the highest red alert possible and is holding off on non-essential care as it begins to focus on the virus again.

The county’s response

So, how is the county responding to the rise in cases? Orange County mayor, Jerry Demings, held a press conference this morning where he stated they are in “crisis mode.”

Demings is urging everyone to get vaccinated because the large amount of cases the county is seeing involves those who are not vaccinated. He has also been urging businesses to require masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The county is in “critical mode” as they decide the best course of action.

He concluded the briefing by stating that the next 24-28 hours are critical, which leads us to believe we may hear from him in the next few days about a possible mask mandate in the county again.

Will Disney World require masks again?

Would you be willing to wear masks at Disney again?

Since Disney is a private business they do not have to comply with any county mandate. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis passed legislation that barred counties from enforcing any mask mandate. However, Disney World can choose to require masks again.

The company completely lifted all mask restrictions (except for transportation which is federally mandated) back in June when relaxed recommendations came from the CDC.