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Disneyland Requires Vaccines For Workers, Not For Visitors
Masked workers wave to guests as they take in the sights and sounds of Main Street U.S.A. at the Disneyland Resort on April 30, 2021.
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Christian Thompson - Handout/Disneyland Resort
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via Getty Images
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Disneyland employees now have a hard deadline to get vaccinated from COVID-19: April 11. The union representing food and beverage workers at the theme park, Workers United Local 50, alerted their members in a Facebook post last week.
But don’t expect the park to become the Vaxxiest Place On Earth — which was a point of contention for union negotiators, who said they wanted the park to require more from guests as well.
“We have received notice, after months of good faith negotiations on the matter, that the company will be moving forward on a vaccine mandate for Local 50 and other [unions] not currently under a mandate,” the post reads.
A shop steward for the union, Chris Shively, wrote in a comment, “For everyone asking why we didn't come to an agreement with Disney[, w]e requested that they also require guests to show proof of vaccination or a negative test and Disney said no.” Shively added, “Disney has no intent to require guests to show proof of vaccinations or a negative test. They have specifically communicated that to us.”
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The union, which represents more than 6,500 Disneyland Resort food and beverage workers, sought a vaccination requirement for park visitors in order to protect worker safety. According to Shively, the company said no and showed no interest in instituting such a policy.
So what are the COVID-19 requirements for visitors to Disneyland at this point?
When you go to make a reservation for a visit, Disney asks you to self-attest that you’re “aware of the State of California’s strong recommendation that Guests be fully vaccinated or receive a negative COVID-19 test prior to entering.” But no vaccination requirement, though masks are required while indoors.
Food and beverage workers who don’t either comply with the mandate or receive an exemption for medical and/or religious reasons by April 11 will be fired, according to Shively.
In a Voice of OC story published last week about the deadline, noted that the initial push for a vaccine mandate by the Disney Parks came last July.
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