ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) – Universal Studios in Orlando is hoping to reopen to the public in the first week of June.
Officials from the theme park presented their plans for reopening on Thursday to Orange County’s reopening task force.
The Universal Studios official who spoke to the task force said he’s asked Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings to allow Universal Orlando to open to its staff on June 1. They want to then ramp up slowly and start welcoming guests back to the park on June 5.
“We’re going to ramp up slowly in terms of making sure that all the procedures and all the practices that we are putting in place actually work. When I ask for June 1, we’re not gonna open to the public on June the 1st. We will open on June the 1st and June the 2nd and just have some of our own team members come in and allow us to vet everything that we’re doing to make sure that it works and to get whatever learnings we can in a controlled environment. On the 3rd and the 4th, we’d be doing some invited guests and some annual passholders and others again to be able to stress the system, make sure that it works. Then we would hope to open to the public on June the 5th.”
John Sprouls, Chief Administrative Officer:
Visitors will have their temperature checked upon arrival, and if it’s 100.4 degrees or higher, they won’t be allowed to enter. Visitors also will have to wear face masks which they can purchase. The park will limit capacity to ensure social distancing. They also will have cashless payment options and staggered parking.
Workers also will have their temperatures checked and will have to wear face masks. All chairs and tables will be cleaned and disinfected after each seating, and high-touch areas also will be frequently cleaned, the resort said.
The Orange County Task Force unanimously approved Universal Studios plans for reopening. The plan now moves to the state for final approval.
Mayor Dyer recently visited Orlando to see some of the new safety protocols the park is implementing in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to WESH.
Universal Orlando has been closed since Sunday, March 15. Universal closed CityWalk on March 16 and all of its hotels on March 20.
CityWalk has since reopened with limited operations.
Gov. Ron DeSantis gave theme parks permission last week to submit plans for reopening as part of “full” Phase One.
At this point, it’s not clear exactly when Disney World and SeaWorld will present their plans.