Universal Dropping Mask Mandate

Great news for all of those movie and theme park fans out there; your life is about to get easier. Back on Christmas Eve, Orlando Universal reinstated their mask mandates to assist in combating the spread of the Omicron variant. The park is changing its mask mandate to make the fully vaccinated feel a semblance of normalcy. 

Mask Mandate at Universal Studios

The resort will no longer require fully vaccinated guests to wear masks indoors or outdoors as of February 12, 2022. Guests who are not fully vaccinated are still required to wear masks indoors.

The mask policy also applies to the staff of the park. Those fully vaccinated team members are not required to wear masks onstage, backstage, indoors, or outdoors. 

Previously, guests were required to wear face coverings at all restaurants, shops, indoor hotel public areas, and attractions from the moment they entered the queue to when they exited, per the resort’s online safety guidelines.

Proof of vaccination was not required, but guests completed a health survey before visiting. The survey asked whether a guest was feeling sick or experiencing flu-like symptoms. Symptoms like a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, or muscle pain, among other health conditions, were included.

After a six-month low of new COVID cases in November, the Omicron variant spurred a spike in the cases. From zero cases reported on November 25, 2021, to nearly 126,000 reported on January 10, Florida rose quickly. On February 11, less than 10,000 cases appeared. Universal Studios in Orlando is doubling down on the optimistic downward trend. Florida defied the federal government’s COVID precautions by removing mask mandates and refusing to adhere to vaccine enforcement. Following that lead, Universal seems to be taking the lead in the theme park arena.