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Right Image Credit: @zealand.sandersWalt Disney World has added additional social distancing markers — on the actual streets of Main Street U.S.A.!
When scrolling through Instagram, Inside the Magic noticed additional social distancing markers have been placed on the ground of Main Street U.S.A. Many speculate that the social distancing markers could be for social distancing on Main Street during the nighttime fireworks (which are not currently running), while other suggest the markers could be for PhotoPass lines, as Disney World has continued to adapt to their needs and add more safety protocol since the parks reopened in July.
We do want to mention that though we do not know exactly when these were installed, we do know it was fairly recent.
I was personally inside Magic Kingdom less than two weeks ago (and just two days prior to when Magic Kingdom had their fireworks testing on November 16) and did not see these markers on the ground. You can see this reflected in the photo below that I took during one of the cavalcades.
Our other Inside the Magic reporter was there on Thursday, November 19, and the markers were on the ground (see below). Therefore, these had to have been installed days after Disney tested the fireworks after hours.
Credit: Inside the MagicYou can see these new markers in the photo below from Zealand on Instagram, on the left-hand side. These are different than the ones that were recently placed on the sidewalks of Main Street U.S.A. — Which are green circles and were installed to help with social distancing during the cavalcade.
The new ones, on the other hand, (seen above) are in the middle of Main Street and are long rectangular blocks (much like the ones in queue lines for attractions). These can’t be for cavalcades since Guests are not allowed to stand on the actual street when they pass by and must stand on the sidewalk for safety reasons.
You can see in our Facebook live video from November 6 for one of the holiday cavalcades, these markers were not on the ground of Main Street U.S.A.
You can also see in this Instagram post from Ivelisse below, the social distancing markers were not present when this was taken.
Even further down Main Street U.S.A., thanks to Lexie on Instagram, we can see these markers also installed (closer to the train station and the Emporium). Again, these markers are only seen on the left-hand side of Main Street at this time.
You can see in this Instagram photo from Ashleigh, they were not yet installed.
These markers had to have been newly installed, even though we do not know exactly when these markers appeared — So what could they be for?
Just days ago, Magic Kingdom tested fireworks once the parks were closed, however, Disney did not make a statement on when fireworks would return. So it is most likely these are not for fireworks returning to the park.
However, we did notice that crowds tend to gather around Cinderella Castle at night to witness the holiday takeover projections that occur each evening. A total of four different patterns are shown and each image is projected on the Castle for about 15 minutes at a time. As you can imagine, Guests want to wait around to see all four images, which means they will be standing around for about an hour at a time. Disney could have installed these along Main Street U.S.A. to help spread out the crowds.
These also could have been installed to help ensure social distancing while Guests wait for PhotoPass. Since Main Street is a busy place to get family photos taken, Disney could have placed these down to help with the lines that form throughout the day for PhotoPass.
Please keep in mind, this is pure speculation and Disney did not release a statement on the newly installed social distancing markers at this time or what they could be for.
What do you think these social distancing markers are for? Let us know in the comments below.