Bob Chapek Expects Disney Parks to Ease Mask Mandate and Social Distancing Requirements by 2022

Tom Corless

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Bob Chapek Expects Disney Parks to Ease Mask Mandate and Social Distancing Requirements by 2022

During today’s financial result call for Q1, Disney CEO Bob Chapek stated that he expects the current mask and social distancing requirements at the Disney Parks to not exist by 2022.

And that could accelerate our expectations, and give people the confidence that they need to come back to the parks. Will there be overlap until we know that we have herd immunity? Sure there will. But do we believe we’ll be in the same state of 6 foot social distance and mask wearing in 22? Absolutely not.

Bob Chapek, Disney CEO

Now to clarify, we don’t believe he was saying that there will be no COVID related rules remaining at all, but rather than there may not be a need for everyone to wear a mask and distancing of 6 feet from others could be reduced. Chapek did state that he expected the current rules to be in place for the remainder of 2021.

Walt Disney World currently requires masks for all guests over the age of 2 and ask guests to remain physically distanced from each other at all times. Guests also can only remove their masks to eat or drink while distanced from others.

28 thoughts on “Bob Chapek Expects Disney Parks to Ease Mask Mandate and Social Distancing Requirements by 2022”

  1. This is the first time I have heard anyone say anything about masks going away. I rather suddenly and without warning started crying. As a runner to find myself with severe asthma and daily migraines (and recently rather sudden nosebleeds) after a year of mask wearing there would be no way for me to do disney with a mask on. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and that is all I needed to hear. Something to focus on. I’ll take it.

  2. Correction: he may have been referring to fiscal years, not calendar years. Fiscal year 2021 ends October, so hopefully that is what he meant!

  3. I’m certainly not going back until the masks, plexiglass, and reservation system are gone. Probably puts me in a small minority, but I tried visiting Epcot back in October with a mask. It was brutal. I’m not doing it any more.

  4. Well, I am not going to Disney World until all their covid warnings are removed from their website. ALL OF IT. So, I am not going till next year, meaning that I will have missed 2 years worth of trips.

  5. if disney hopes to have a great 50th in october this stuff with the masks wont fly! if you can prove vacination at that time you should not need a mask! also by then they better be at full compacity & have fastpasses or the parks will be a mad house! & it wouldnt hurt to have the dinning plan back!

  6. Then I guess he will continue to lose money. Like myself, there are countless people ready to drop some serious cash on a Disney vaca, but we won’t spend a penny with them until all these asinine mandates are gone. This virus isn’t going anywhere, we just need to get back to living and stop banning treatments that work!

  7. The more they continue with the masks and SD nonsense, the more people will hold back their travel plans. The “average” WDW visitor will not spend thousands of dollars on a vacation only having to wear a mask and wait in obscenely long lines due to SD.

    My prediction is once it really starts to hurt Disney’s wallet, they will ease up restrictions.

  8. That’s because Disney are first and foremost a money making operation. The revenue they are losing from mandating masks is phenomenal and they know it!
    I’d bet (and I’m not the gambling type) every last dime I had that the corporation are losing more revenue through requiring masks than they are of people afraid of the virus! Especially since two year olds who, mind you don’t even catch the virus, are required to wear them. Give me a break! Anybody with children know how hard it is for them to keep a bib around their necks for 5 minutes whilst they’re eating. Never mind a mask suffocating their face all day and night long!
    Still when Disney lose enough money (seems they haven’t lost enough quite yet)..
    They’ll be putting out their best “studies have shown that masks don’t work” headlines through ABC News. But until such times. People will continue to avoid the parks.

  9. People will start to vote with their wallets, as other businesses drop their mask requirements and then we all of other travel and entertainment to pick from. Right now, some people are going to Disney (mostly locals), because that’s the only place to go do something on a Saturday to pass the time and deal with this Covid boredom. As other entertainment companies drop their mandates, Disney will feel even more pressure. Right now, they are one of a tiny handful of options in the country. Let’s see if they are requiring masks when the rest of the country is opening and we all have choices. I think not.

    • Disney knows they can’t take another 6 months of masks. The stock will get destroyed. Disney+ saved them this past year. Now the expectations are very high. Masks are coming off!

  10. I have a trip booked for the end of November/beginning of December 2021. I will not be going if masks are required.

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