#Disneyland, Disney World again require masks amid COVID rise

It’s the maskiest place on earth.

In response to the nationwide resurgence in COVID cases, both California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World are reinstating their park-wide mask mandates. The policy comes just over a month after both parks dropped their PPE requirements due to then-dwindling infection rates.

“We are adapting our health and safety guidelines based on guidance from health and government officials,” the company announced Wednesday of the new PPE rules, the Orange County Register reported.

Starting Friday, July 30, both the Orlando and Anaheim resorts will require cast members and guests over age 2 to wear face coverings indoors “regardless of vaccination status,” per the initiative. PPE will not be required in common outdoor common areas, per the measure.

The policy shift comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask rules in response to a nationwide uptick in coronavirus cases, especially the alarming new Delta variant of the disease. They now recommend that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of “high” or “substantial” risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Currently, Florida boasts more COVID cases than any other state, recording a mind-boggling average of 10,452 new cases each day over the past week alone, CNN reported Tuesday.

On Monday, the mayor of Florida’s Orange County — where Disney World and Universal Studios are located — warned at a press conference that the region is in “crisis mode” as cases surged.

“These numbers are extraordinary,” Mayor Jerry Demings warned. “We are seeing nearly 1,000 new cases in Orange County daily. Those are the numbers we saw at the highest peak last year.”