Should you visit WDW during the coronavirus outbreak?

I went to WDW MK 2 days before they announced the 2 cases in Tampa, which I live near. I’m also pregnant. A couple of people were wearing masks. But the park was actually fairly crowded.
I also fully intend to go back in the next few weeks as well.

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PunzelBelle;2527216 wrote: I went to WDW MK 2 days before they announced the 2 cases in Tampa, which I live near. I’m also pregnant. A couple of people were wearing masks. But the park was actually fairly crowded.
I also fully intend to go back in the next few weeks as well.

Did you notice any differences? Extra hand sanitizer? Safety warnings?

Walt Disney World has made hand sanitizer available all over the parks and at the resorts. This announcement was made yesterday

Zippy 1;2527228 wrote: Walt Disney World has made hand sanitizer available all over the parks and at the resorts. This announcement was made yesterday

At least they are trying to do something. There should be extra cleaning staff as well!

We have a trip planned for mid-May, and unless they close the park, we'll be there. But, yeah, we'll take every precaution to keep ourselves healthy while we do it.

Don't touch the handrails! Don't touch the bathroom fixtures! Don't touch anything!
Stay out of long lines and crowds of people! Don't eat in restaurants! Don't sit on rides!
Don't breathe the air! aaaaacccgggg! Going to Disney World is the complete opposite of being quarantined. It is a germaphobe's nightmare. Don't even think about all the many ways that microbes can be transferred from person to person there. People should stay away in droves.
That will make it far less crowded for the rest of us. :secret:

DisneyFan101;2527224 wrote: Did you notice any differences? Extra hand sanitizer? Safety warnings?

Nothing... but I will note that when I went to bathrooms still not everyone was washing their hands.

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PunzelBelle;2527237 wrote: Nothing... but I will note that when I went to bathrooms still not everyone was washing their hands.

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That's just gross anytime.

I realize that I am in the complete minority here but I am very allergic to many cleaning products so I carry my own plant based products. So while it looks like I am not washing it is bc I cannot risk using their products. Also I tend to use the larger stalls that have their own sinks. I know this is true in many of the family restrooms as with the larger stalls at MKs restrooms near guest services. Sometimes looks can be deceiving. Just saying sometimes people can be washing just not visible to you.

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PunzelBelle;2527237 wrote: Nothing... but I will note that when I went to bathrooms still not everyone was washing their hands.

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This happens all the time. In nursing school, we're taught to open the doors using a paper towel to hold the handle after we wash our hands.

You are probably more likely to catch the flu. But yes, I just left WDW yesterday, and I noticed that they have hand sanitizer stations in various locations.

PunzelBelle;2527237 wrote: Nothing... but I will note that when I went to bathrooms still not everyone was washing their hands.

Thanks, that's good to know!

Yes, visit... And better yet, lick the handrails!!!

There is an article from the Washington Post this morning on Disney World and the virus:
ORLANDO — The Disney trip had been planned for months when reports of coronavirus hit the news, and leaders of the children’s cancer charity weren’t about to cancel.

They ushered seven kids through the crowded gates of the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, toward the paale-pink Cinderella’s Castle. They snapped photographs as the group posed with Rapunzel and Tiana, a face mask covering one little girl’s smile. They screamed through the gentle twists and turns of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and stayed late into the night for Space Mountain.

Although experts say coronavirus poses a higher risk to those with underlying conditions, there have been few reports of children becoming sick. Among this group, accompanied by a doctor who tended to their medical needs, the virus wasn’t anyone’s top concern.

“When you’re fighting for your life and you have this opportunity to come to Disney,” said Chinos Liner, founder of the Cancun-based Chinos Cause for Cancer, “I think you forget about what happens in the world.”

Beyond the polished grounds of the park this week, anxiety over the virus mounted. The death toll surpassed 3,400 by Saturday as countries reported ever-increasing numbers of infections and global financial markets reeled.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared a state of emergency Sunday after two people tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, in areas outside of Orlando. At a press briefing Monday, Vice President Pence did not directly answer a question about whether he would feel comfortable bringing his family to Disney World during the outbreak, offering only: “I travel across this country all the time.”

Four additional cases were discovered during the week, bringing the state’s total to six. Late Friday, the Department of Health announced the state’s first deaths, two patients in their 70s who each returned from international trips. Meanwhile, 278 people were being monitored.

On financial websites and Disney fan blogs this week, observers fretted over vacations to the parks and investments in the company. They raised the specter of Disney closing its theme park locations in the United States — something that’s happened only during hurricanes and the 9/11 terrorist attacks but became more tangible to some after Disney’s Asia parks shuttered late last month.

“It’s not outlandish to think that we could eventually bump up against the world’s leading theme park operator temporarily closing down its iconic theme parks on both coasts,” analyst Rick Munarriz wrote on the investment advice site the Motley Fool. “Even if Disney doesn’t resort to locking down its entrance turnstiles, the growing number of worrisome headlines will eventually weigh on travel plans.”

There has not been official guidance on travel to unaffected parts of the United States or to large gatherings of people. Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the virus inevitably will spread widely within the country, potentially requiring communities to “modify, postpone, or cancel mass gatherings.”

This week, though, busloads of people streamed into the Magic Kingdom, the world’s most-visited theme park. Children cheered as Mickey and Minnie skipped across the steps of Cinderella’s Castle. Costumed Disney characters embraced fans and held them close for photos. Lines for rides stretched an hour long late into the afternoon; conversations revolved around which rides to try or memories of past visits.

The coronavirus was on the front pages of the newspapers stacked in Disney resorts but not on the forefront of visitors’ minds.

“It’s here, right? It’s not like you can bunker down and become a hermit,” said Patrick White, 57, who came from Chicago with his adult daughter. “Or you can, but to me that would be very lonely.”

There was the occasional sight of someone whipping out a bottle of Purell, and park officials reported adding hand sanitizer stations throughout the parks — although few were visible at the Magic Kingdom Wednesday. Employees at two stores said they had none left for sale.

“Right now, all the parks are in planning stages,” said Duncan Dickson, a former Disney executive and retired professor from the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “They’re playing ‘What if.’ What if this happens? What if this happens? They’re making contingency plans.”

‘Still open for business’
Orlando is the tourism capital of the United States, the driver of a $75 billion industry in Central Florida. Even as fear over the coronavirus crept closer, with the cancellation of five conferences dealing an estimated $186 million blow to Orange County by the end of the week, some seemed reluctant to discuss its potential impact.

The city’s mayor and at least one commissioner offered only a prepared statement declaring that the city “will continue to monitor and work closely with the County and State Health Department.” The University of Central Florida barred a hospitality professor from giving interviews about the virus’s potential impact on tourism, instead referring inquiries to top administrators.

Becca Bides, vice president of marketing for Orlando’s tourism bureau, said in prepared comments that there had been “no significant impact” to leisure visitation, adding that 91 percent of visitors come from within the United States. She said the region “does not have direct air service to China or any country currently under a U.S. travel advisory.”

Disney representatives did not respond to multiple interview requests from The Washington Post. In a post on the company’s blog, chief medical officer Dr. Pamela Hymel wrote Disney was “in regular contact with health agencies for information and guidance.” She noted the parks have “high standards of cleanliness” and are implementing preventive measures in line with CDC recommendations.

Similarly, Universal Orlando Resort said in a statement officials were reinforcing health and hygiene procedures, enhancing cleaning protocols and “ready to act as needed.”