Disneyland to remove mask mandate and other COVID-19 guidelines

In breaking news from Disneyland tonight, its website announces that as of tomorrow, June 15, 2021, the park will no longer require masks for fully vaccinated visitors.

This change coincides with California's theme parks reopening to out-of-state guests starting on the same date.

As reported by TPG on Friday, Disney World in Orlando will also revise its mask policy effective June 15.

More changes are coming. Here’s what to anticipate at Disneyland on June 15.

Travelers who are fully vaccinated can forgo mask-wearing.

Beginning June 15, vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks indoors or outdoors at Disneyland.

Guests who are unvaccinated (aged 2 and older) must continue to wear masks indoors, except while eating. Currently, no COVID-19 vaccines are available for children 11 and under in the U.S.

What measures will Disneyland take to verify vaccinations?

According to Disney, "Guests won't have to provide proof of vaccination, but vaccinated individuals will confirm their compliance before entry. Additionally, all guests must acknowledge California's strong recommendation to be fully vaccinated or to obtain a negative COVID-19 test before entering the theme parks when booking Disneyland Resort theme park reservations."

Temperature checks are no longer required.

Disney World has already ended temperature checks, and Disneyland will follow suit by discontinuing pre-entry checks starting June 15.

Social distancing measures are now more relaxed.

According to Disneyland's website, California has "eliminated physical distancing requirements for guests, allowing them to decide their own distance."

What does this imply? If you wish to maintain social distance, you're welcome to do so, but other guests won’t be expected to follow that guideline while enjoying the theme parks.

Theme park reservations and capacity management are in place.

Disneyland, along with Disney World, will maintain its theme park pass reservation system, which was introduced to manage capacity as the parks reopened. Most feedback suggests that this system is functioning effectively and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

However, requiring reservations doesn’t guarantee that capacity limits will remain as low as they have been recently. We've seen an influx of additional park pass reservations for dates that were previously sold out at Disney World. Disney can increase capacity while still mandating advance reservations.

Starting tomorrow, Disneyland and Disney World will align more closely in their rules and procedures, which should give guests a clearer idea of what to expect this summer.

Nonetheless, for those accustomed to Disneyland’s more gradual approach to reopening and pandemic-related changes compared to its Florida counterpart, today’s announcement may come as a surprise.