Will Disney Parks in the States Require Health Pass like Disneyland Paris?

in Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World

Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney World

Credit: Disney

Recently, Disneyland Paris announced that in order to visit their theme park, you must provide a health pass. What is a health pass? Well, quite simply, it is proof, either paper or digital, showing you are either completely vaccinated for COVID-19, or you have a negative RT-PCR or antigen test.

Disneyland Paris
Credit: Disney

This rule goes into effect on July 21 for adults over the age of 18, and on August 30 for children aged 12 to 17. Children under 12 are not impacted by this new rule. This decision was made after Disneyland Paris was shut down for several months and was forced to close during a second wave of Covid in October 2020.

Wearing face masks both indoors and outdoors (unless actively eating or drinking) is still a requirement at Disneyland Paris.

It is clear Disneyland Paris is taking every precaution to ensure every Guest and Cast Member is safe with health passes being mandatory in France.

disney masks kids
Credit: Disney

What About Walt Disney World?

Back in April, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banned the use of vaccine passports (what France is calling “health passes”) and stated that masks were no longer required in the state. Walt Disney World continued to follow the instructions of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with mask mandates and social distancing rules and stated Guests would not need a vaccine passport to enter theme parks.

father and daughter wearing masks in front of cinderella castle at disney world
Credit: Disney

Now, according to the official Walt Disney World website:

While face coverings are required for all Guests while in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, they are now optional in most areas for Guests who are fully vaccinated. While we do not require proof of vaccination, we expect Guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings in all indoor locations and upon entering and throughout all attractions and transportation except ferry boats.

Guests who are fully vaccinated visiting Walt Disney World can enjoy all four theme parks mask-free indoors and outdoors, but with COVID-19 cases on the rise again, what will this mean for Walt Disney World, and do Guests feel safe knowing Walt Disney World is not requiring to check everyone’s vaccination status, not enforcing a face mask rule, and trusting in Guests honoring the face mask policy?

disney world crowds
Credit: Inside the Magic Kelly C.

What About Disneyland?

Slowly but surely, Disneyland Resort followed suit. For Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, per Disneyland’s official website:

The State of California strongly recommends that all Guests be fully vaccinated or receive a negative COVID-19 test prior to entering the Disneyland Resort. Unvaccinated Guests must wear face coverings when indoors.

mad tea party at disneyland
Credit: Disney

With that being said, with recent COVID-19 cases increasing and with the Delta variant becoming a concern, California’s Health Officials are recommending not to visit places like Nevada, Louisiana, and Florida and possibly spreading the virus when they return home.

Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World are putting the faith in their Guests to follow the rules and basing it on the honor system, without enforcing face masks and instead of leaving it up to Guests. This can seem a bit concerning for many visitors. Keep in mind that California Governor Gavin Newsom did not completely ban vaccine passports, though he has stated that they are not a requirement and has not indicated that they will become one.

Will we see Health Passes at more Disney Parks?

Today, Florida’s Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings announced in a news conference that all residents (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) are advised to wear face masks while visiting indoor spaces as cases rise in their community. This is an advisory, however, and not a requirement.

The big question is that now that Disney Parks have reopened and with the virus remaining a concern, should the theme parks follow suit with Disneyland Paris’s idea and ask all Guests to provide health passes/vaccine passports?

It is important to remember that health passes are required at Disneyland Paris per the governmental regulations in France. Currently, in the United States, there is no such requirement, and again, for Walt Disney World in Florida, such a system is already rejected by the governor.

It is unlikely that any system similar to the health pass would be required at Disney Parks in the United States.

Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney World
Credit: Disney

It is evident that we are not in the clear just yet, and the last thing that many Disney fans would want to see is Disney Parks like Walt Disney World and Disneyland to shut down again and have Cast Members out of work. We have seen Disney follow CDC recommendations for the theme parks throughout the pandemic and expect them to continue to do so.

Although that is my opinion, what do you think?

What do you think U.S. Parks should or should not do as far as vaccination passports? Let us know in the comments below!

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Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Inside the Magic overall.

in Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World

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