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Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Bloggytown

Walt Disney World and SeaWorld to present reopening plans for Orange County approval

Posted By Dave Plotkin on Wed, May 27, 2020 at 9:02 AM

click to enlarge

Photo via Walt Disney World/Facebook

It's a big day for Walt Disney World and SeaWorld, as both parks submit their reopening plans to Orange County for approval. The plans presented to the county's Economic Recovery Task Force will include anticipated reopening dates and steps to protect guests.

Mayor Demings said Tuesday he has already seen the proposals and considers the applications to be "good news" for tourism and the local economy. Health officials from the county and state health department visited both parks for a safety review on Tuesday. After county approval, Gov. Ron DeSantis would have to sign on.

Both parks have been shut down for 10 weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Universal CityWalk Orlando reopened on May 14 and Disney Springs started phased store reopenings on May 20 and 27. Of the major area theme parks, Legoland Florida is expected to reopen first on June 1, and Universal Orlando on June 5. Smaller attractions like Fun Spot Orlando and Gatorland reopened Friday and Saturday respectively, to partial-capacity guests.

Over the weekend, Florida passed 50,000 coronavirus cases statewide, with the number of positive residents reaching 50,916, as of Tuesday's latest numbers. 2,259 Floridians have died of the virus. Over the past two weeks, the daily number of newly reported cases has fluctuated between 500 and 1,200. The parks' new safety protocols will likely be similar to others, including increased sterilizations, employees wearing masks and gloves, and adding markers to promote social distancing.

You can watch the Economic Recovery Task Force's "Bringing Back Tourism" working group meeting live online at 10 a.m. on Orange TV below.
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Tags: Orlando, coronavirus, COVID-19, Orange County Florida, public health, safety, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando, Image, Video

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Related Locations

SeaWorld
- 7007 SeaWorld Drive, Orlando I-Drive/Universal FL 32821-8097
- 28.41187;-81.45951
- 407-363-2613
- seaworld.com…
Walt Disney World Resort
- Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista Disney FL 32830
- 28.38523;-81.56387
- 407-824-4321