Great News at Disney World

National Review Online passes along the following impressive news regarding Disney World's employees three months after the theme park reopened its doors in Florida:

Image by Greg Cohen, via Unsplash, license.

"'We've had very few, and none, as far as we can tell, have been from work-related exposure,' said Eric Clinton, president of UNITE HERE Local 362, which represents roughly 8,000 attraction workers and custodians."

None? As in nobody among 8,000 union workers at Disney World has been infected by coronavirus on the job? This is fantastic news. Other unions, according to the Times, tell a similar story. And workers presumably are at far greater risk than visitors, since workers are there every day. And this is three months after the park reopened. I don't know what the takeaway is here, but Disney World is mainly an outdoor activity. Recall that there was no outbreak associated with Disney World back in the spring either; the park was open until March 15, and thousands of workers and visitors streamed through the park even as the New York Times, among others, sounded the warning bell. [bold added, italics in original]

I am not that surprised at the first bit of news: The parks are doubtless taking precautions against the virus now. The fact that nothing happened in March I'd attribute to a lower overall prevalence of the virus then, as well as the generally fleeting contact most visitors have with park employees most of the time.

As for what this means for visitors, I am in slight disagreement with the folks at NRO: I think the risks are different for workers and visitors overall. Visitors, I would imagine, have a higher chance of finding themselves in crowds for prolonged periods of time, such as when rushing for cover when Florida's customary afternoon showers hit.

But still, this is a welcome indication that another normal activity is feasible during the pandemic.

-- CAV