NEWS: COVID-19 Risk Tier Has Changed for Disney World Counties

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to change and develop, AllEars will be bringing you the latest relevant news that could affect a theme park visit.

Policies and mandates related to COVID-19 have continued to change over the last few weeks, and now we have another update for you concerning the CDC’s recommendations in Disney World’s counties.

Disney World (along with other theme parks) recently dropped their indoors mask mandate for vaccinated guests, and President Biden has announced a new “test-to-treat” plan for getting America closer to a “new normal.” Now, both counties where Disney World is located in Florida have received status updates on their COVID-19 community levels.

The CDC keeps track of COVID-19 Community Levels on their website, and there are 3 possible levels for each county in America. Which level a certain county falls into is based on 3 factors: new COVID-19 hospitalizations, the percent of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and the total new cases.

There are different recommendations for preventing the spread of COVID-19 for each of the levels.

Disney World is located in two different Florida Counties: Osceola County and Orange County. As of March 3rd, 2022, Osceola County is at the Low level…

…and Orange County is Medium.

So what does this mean practically speaking? The biggest difference between Low and Medium versus High is that the CDC recommends that everyone (regardless of vaccination status) wears a face mask indoors in High-level counties. The same recommendation is not given to Low or Medium counties.

As we mentioned before, both Disney World and Universal Orlando have already relaxed their face mask policies for fully vaccinated guests, so those guests do not need to wear masks at most indoor locations. Some areas (like transportation or First Aid Stations) still require masks for all guests.

These are the current CDC recommendations for people in Medium-level counties:

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
• Maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when possible
• Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19
• If you are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease:
  • Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions (e.g., testing)
  • Have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests or access to testing)
  • Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals, PrEP, and monoclonal antibodies
• If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for severe disease:
  • consider self-testing to detect infection before contact
  • consider wearing a mask when indoors with them

These are the current CDC recommendations for people in Low-level counties:

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
• Maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when possible
• Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19
• If you are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease:
  • Have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests or access to testing)
  • Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals, PrEP, and monoclonal antibodies

We’ll keep track of any updates to this situation and let you know about changes that could affect your Disney World vacation! Keep following AllEars for more of the latest news from the Disney parks.

Click here to learn more about President Biden’s new “test-to-treat” COVID-19 plan.

Are you heading to Disney World soon? Let us know in the comments.

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