Chapek: Face masks for guests are likely at Disneyland, Disney World
Guests in the U.S. are more most likely going to have to get used to wearing face masks if they want to head to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek said during an interview with CNBC.
“Along with social distancing, one of the things we are likely going to require is masks for both the cast and the guests. And I think the masks for the guests will be something that is culturally that is different,” Chapek told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin.
In Asia, the practice of wearing masks was commonplace, even before the coronavirus, but that is not the car in the U.S. “So that will be something that will be a little trying, I think for some of the guests, particularly in the hot and humid summers that we tend to have,” Chapek said.
The success of all Disney Parks reopening includes guests following the social distancing and masks rules. Monday’s opening of Shanghai Disneyland is “a first step, it’s a baby step, but we’re very encouraged by what we’re seeing in Shanghai,” Chapek said.
The guests have been very diligent so far with social distancing and that is encouraging, Chapek said. Disney started off opening up Disneytown and other shipping areas before the theme parks. “A lot of it has to do with guest behavior as well as it has with Disney operations.”
The parks fits 80,000 people but the government has limited it to 30% or 24,000. Chapek said it will add about 5,000 people per week until it reached the 30% – by which point the government might raise its cap and Disney could keep adding more people, Chapek says.
“I look at this as a stair step. We’re going to be very conservative, we’re going to be very prudent, we’re going to be very disciplined about how we open up,” he tells CNBC. “And then we’re going to ramp up and increase.”
Chapek said he had no comment on any specific dates for the reopening of other parks and it will depend on the guidance of government and health care experts and immediate hosptaisl in the area were they operate
