Florida’s state government has lifted restrictions on the capacity of indoor venues as well as the mask mandate. Disney World, technically, could now allow their parks to operate at full capacity. Thus far, the park management has shared that they plan to continue with their current safety protocols. This includes mask mandates at all times except for stagnant eating and drinking, floor markings for social distancing, the cutting of many stages and fireworks shows, and a far lower capacity for guests each day. Disney World has also started putting up new signs saying that masks must be worn properly (over the nose and mouth) or the guest will be asked to leave.
Disney has recently announced that it will be laying off almost 30,000 employees. Since paying employees is their biggest expense in the theme park operating budget, they had to make major cuts to their cast members. With Disneyland in Anaheim still completely closed and far less guests in the parks in Florida each day, they haven’t been able to continue with “business as usual” and apparently have exhausted the amount of cuts they can make to other projects.
Luckily, it seems that in the coming week, there will be more clarification from Anaheim on when Disneyland and other neighboring theme parks will be able to reopen. It is a huge loss for the sake of Disney magic because cast member interaction is one of the most impactful parts of any Disney vacation. We at the Latin Babbler Show send out our love to everyone working for Disney and other corporations that have suffered a similar fate. There is currently a pantry run by Cast Members to help anyone who has been facing financial difficulty, and they are accepting donations. https://www.facebook.com/castmemberpantry/
