Strike Team Visits Disney World and Finds No Issues

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Credit: Disney (both background images)

One of the ways the state of Florida is ensuring that businesses in various counties comply with COVID-19 guidelines is by sending “Strike Teams” to visit establishments — including major theme parks like Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios Florida — to ensure that all required health and safety protocols are being met amid the ongoing pandemic.

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Related: WDW Increases Capacity, More of DLR Opens as COVID Cases Rise

Even Walt Disney World Resort (located in Orange County, FL) is not immune to these inspections. The Orange County Strike Team visited both Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park and Disney Springs in recent days.

Orlando area reporter Ashley Carter shared these Twitter posts regarding the Strike Team’s visit this month.

She first wrote:

The Orange County strike team visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 9 for an inspection and found the park to be in compliance with COVID-19 safety measures, according to documents from the county.

Related: Honest Review: NEW Christmas Tree Stroll at Disney Springs

Ms. Carter then Tweeted:

The strike team also visited Disney Springs on October 29 for an inspection and found it to be in compliance with COVID-19 safety measures.

Ms. Cater later clarified that the inspection documents provide little detail about what each business is actually doing in order to comply with state and local guidelines:

For those asking, the inspection document doesn’t have a lot of details. It basically lists places visited by strike team, inspection date and whether they are in compliance. There are sections for if the business is practicing social distancing, following face mask orders, etc.

Related: Disney World Refills All Park Passes For Much of Holiday Season!

This is excellent news for those who are concerned about visiting Walt Disney World Resort amid several recent reports.

First, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that all four of Disney World’s theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom — quietly increased capacity to 35% without an official announcement prior to the increase.

Then, on the heels of that fourth-quarter earnings call news, Disney Springs faced massive crowds that did not appear to be practicing proper social distancing last Saturday night. It is important to note that face mask requirements were being enforced.

Is it easy to pass the Strike Team’s assessment?

In short, no — many businesses in the Orlando area do not pass Strike Team visits with flying colors. In fact, passing the Orange County COVID-19 Strike Team’s assessment is further proof that Disney is truly taking the coronavirus seriously — as executives and company officials have asserted all along.

To compare, zero of the eleven Orlando bars that the Strike Team visited this week were found to be compliant with the Florida county’s pandemic health and safety regulations.

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Credit: Disney

Related: Disney World Adapts to Pandemic, Achieves Net Positive 2020 Results

Spectrum News 13 shared these details about the other local establishments, in sharp contrast to Disney’s handling of the pandemic:

“Our strike teams found no masks, no social distancing, no hand sanitizers and no disinfecting at every one of the bars visited,” he [Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings] said. “So far, our community has cooperated with us. We have a few people who are probably more motivated by profit than they are about protecting their own customers.”

Are you glad to hear Disney World has officially been found COVID-19 compliant in Orange County? Does this influence your decision to visit a theme park during the pandemic?

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