It has now been nearly two years since the initial theme park closures due to COVID-19 back in March 2020. Since theme parks reopened their gates, numerous safety measures have been in place in order to keep guests and staff safe. Mask wearing has been one of the most contentious of all the safety measures. 

It has been a long road with twists and turns but as of today, Universal Orlando Resort have again updated their mask policy and it now states on its official website that "Face coverings are optional for fully vaccinated guests. For guests who have not been vaccinated, face coverings are encouraged while indoors."

This means that masks are no longer REQUIRED at all for guests while they are at Universal Orlando Resort including in indoors areas. Masks are now only ENCOURAGED for those guests who are unvaccinated. Guests have had the freedom to not wear a mask in outdoors areas but due to the Omicron variant the indoor rule was reinstated for all guests back on December 24, 2021.

The news that masks are now not required at all for vaccinated guests and only "encouraged" for unvaccinated guests will certainly come as welcome news for many Universal Orlando fans. It may, however, come as a surprise to some people as the Omicron variant is still very prevalent in Florida but the overall trend does seem to be on the decline.

It leaves us to wonder whether Walt Disney World will follow suit and announce that they too will be getting rid of the indoor mask mandate which is still currently in place throughout the resort. It still states on the Walt Disney World official website that "Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) in all indoor locations, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all indoor attractions and indoor queues and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings are optional for Guests in outdoor areas."

With COVID-19 cases still high in Florida due to the Omicron variant and with Disney's often more cautious approach we think we will see the indoor mask mandate remain for the foreseeable future.

We will keep you updated on any changes to mask mandates at Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World on our news and Facebook pages.