Starting Friday, Disney World in Florida will require guests over the age of 2 to wear masks indoors, reversing the policy that allows fully vaccinated guests to walk without them.
The change was announced after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended Americans wear face masks in public indoor spaces in areas with high transmission rates, regardless of vaccination status.
It also came when Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings signed an executive order on Wednesday declaring a local state of emergency as cases soared in the county where Disney World is located.
“I urge residents and visitors – vaccinated and unvaccinated – to wear a mask indoors and follow updated CDC guidelines,” Mr Demings wrote on Twitter.
In the past two weeks, Orange County’s coronavirus infections have increased 184 percent and hospital admissions increased 116 percent, according to the New York Times.
Disney World’s new policy could spark a backlash from Governor Ron DeSantis, who said it was up to parents to decide whether their children should wear masks after the CDC’s announcement.
On Wednesday, Governor DeSantis doubled his comments, saying that wearing masks for children was “bad policy”.
“Parents can best decide whether their children should wear a mask in school,” wrote the governor on Twitter. “Neither Washington bureaucrats nor local authorities should be able to override a parent’s decision.”
Disney World wasn’t the only company to respond to CDC advice. Apple also announced that employees and customers in certain stores across the country will be required to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status under the new CDC guidelines.
