Disneyland Brings Back COVID-19 Social Distancing Policy

COVID-19 protocols made a surprise return to one Disneyland Park amid updates to the vacation destination’s digital map. Here’s what Disney Park guests need to know about the change.

New Disney Park Maps

Three guests in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris. Disney annual pass. — Credit: Disney

Disneyland Paris Resort recently updated its digital park maps in the official app for the European Disney park. The new Disneyland Park map features 2-D drawing-style images of attractions and buildings rather than 3-D renders, as shown in these comparison images from X (formerly known as Twitter) user @DLPReport:

📲 For comparison, previous Disneyland Park map vs. new one, and close up comparison of Rivers of the Far West. It’s a choice.

📲 For comparison, previous Disneyland Park map vs. new one, and close up comparison of Rivers of the Far West. It’s a choice. pic.twitter.com/2H0x7VQZzH

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) March 3, 2026

As with any change at the Disney parks, fans weren’t shy in sharing their opinion on the new Disneyland Park map. However, the conversation escalated further when app users noticed something unusual on the map near “it’s a small world.”

COVID-19 Rules Back at Disneyland Park

A group of Disneyland cast members, dressed in red and blue plaid vests and blue face masks, line both sides of a street, waving to guests who are walking towards the camera. — Credit: Disney

On the Disneyland Park map near “it’s a small world” are several blue squares alongside a walkway in Fantasyland and in the ride queue. They’re not labeled and, at first glance, would appear to be some kind of decoration. However, eagle-eyed Disney Parks fans quickly pointed out that the small signs were actually social distancing guides left over from Disneyland Paris Resort’s COVID-19 pandemic protocols.

@RGameplayXtreme shared a screenshot of the map alongside an aerial image from Google Maps, which also still includes the social distancing stickers:

Small World is still stuck in 2021 with the social distancing stickers

Small World is still stuck in 2021 with the social distancing stickers pic.twitter.com/e6sQi7MbRy

— GameplayXtreme: Air Riders (@RGameplayXtreme) March 3, 2026

Some fans speculated that Disneyland Paris Resort had used generative AI to transform the Google Maps imagery into a digital, drawn Disneyland Park map. @DLPTownSquare wrote:

Oh. They clearly generated it with AI from google maps.

Oh. They clearly generated it with AI from google maps. https://t.co/3Wzg6YHEcY

— DLP Town Square (@DLPTownSquare) March 3, 2026

Others found the humor in the situation. From @ImaginatyM:

There’s still COVID on the Dlp map 😂 [Translated From French]

Y a toujours le COVID sur la map de Dlp 😂 https://t.co/OQjJjfOnih

— Imaginaty (@ImaginatyM) March 3, 2026

Disneyland Paris Resort has not publicly responded to the allegations that it used AI to recreate a theme park map from Google Maps or removed the COVID-19 social distancing markers from its official app.

Are there any pre-COVID-19 policies or offerings that you wish would return to the Disney parks? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!