In an Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update press conference led by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino, new information has come to light regarding COVID-19 outbreaks and cases related to the theme parks.
During a Q&A session, a question came in from the Associated Press for Dr. Raul Pino regarding reports of cases coming from the parks:
Now that all Disney theme parks are opened, have there been any reports of virus spread either coming from workers or visitors? Can you provide the same status update for Universal and SeaWorld?
Mike Schneider via Associated Press
To which Dr. Pino responded:
Outbreaks, no. We have had isolated individuals that have become positive. Now, remember, we rely on the data that is provided by individuals. So, it is self-reported. So someone could lie to us about where they were, where they live, or what the situation may be. So having that in consideration, we haven’t seen any large amounts or numbers of positive cases coming with tags that identify them to any of the parks.
Dr. Raul Pino, Orange County Health Officer
So while individual cases have been reported, there is no direct correlation to the theme parks at this time, nor have any outbreaks been recorded by health officials. At this time, Orange County will continue monitoring the status of positivity rates to determine how best to move forward with phased reopenings.
You can find today’s COVID-19 conference, linked at the start of the question on theme park cases, embedded below:
The next question is do you believe the mayor. It is only a matter of time before Disney has a finger pointed at it for a super spreader event
I have been posting to another Disney blog recently, so I will post to this one. For whatever it’s worth, my husband, grandson and I got back home (Louisiana) on Thursday morning (7/16) from a 5 day trip to DW. We followed ALL requirements and protocols to a T. So far, none of us have exhibited any signs of illness. We flew to Orlando and back via Southwest Airlines. Husband and I double masked in airport and on airplane for extra protection.
Family went 7.19-7.25. Everybody, vacationers and staff, had mask on and most of the time you could stay at least 6 feet apart. All in all it was stressful but still enjoyable. We followed all rules, tested just in case, results pending, no symptoms.
No reported cases. Why? Because they all brought the disease back to their home states, what a joke.