The covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the world's sense of normalcy. Events and businesses trying to bring people back to normal have had to balance the waning federal restrictions and private rules about masks, vaccination status, etc. One of the largest U.S. theme parks is making a significant step forward by establishing its own regulations.
Advertisement
Today Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles, California announced that mandatory vaccinations and proof of protection against covid-19 will be offered to visitors aged 12 and over starting October 7. This is in accordance with the new orders by LA Countys Public Health department. Guests will need to either show proof of a FDA/WHO -ap-proved vaccination at least two weeks after the final dose (either two-dose vaccinations such as Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, or Johnson & Johnsons one-dose vaccine) or a negative covid-19 result within 72 hours. All guests over 18 years old will be required to show photo ID. The new universal rules do not stop there. Guests will need to wear masks indoors and outdoors. This is to ensure that the park maintains the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitation.
These rules are not applicable to Universals Resorts in Orlando, Florida. Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, has been involved in campaigns to ban vaccination mandates in schools and private businesses for several months. Disney, another theme park owner, has not yet implemented similar mandates to prove vaccination. However, Disneyland in Anaheim, California and Walt Disney Resort Orlando, Florida both reintroduced mandatory indoor mask wearing for guests in July. They had previously dropped restrictions on masks one month earlier. Although Universal Studios' new guidelines don't have an age limit for mask usage; Disney's current rules apply to all visitors above the age of 2.
Even though some locations opened up sooner than others, the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the U.S. theme parks. Meanwhile, the number of covid cases continued to fluctuate. There has been a low return in public confidence after improved vaccination rates, but there is still a lot of hesitation in bringing back at least some pandemic restrictions. This is because vaccination rates have slowed down and the number of unvaccinated Americans continues to rise. It remains to be seen if more rules such as those at Universal Studios will become the norm in other parks. But for now, if you're going to LA, you'll need your vaccine card and your mask before you can enjoy any rides.
Are you curious about where our RSS feed went. The new one can be found here.
