ORLANDO, Fla. – Universal Orlando got the go-ahead Friday to open all three of its Central Florida parks starting June 5.
John Sprouls, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Universal Parks & Resorts, presented Universal’s reopening plan to Orange County’s economic recovery task force Thursday.
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It includes requiring all guests to wear masks, have their temperature checked and practice social distancing.
Orange County mayor Jerry Demings approved the plan after the presentation and sent it to the state for the final word.
Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay have been closed since mid-March to stop the spread of coronavirus. Now, all three will open in two weeks.
On a new section of its website dedicated to providing responses about the reopening, Universal Orlando listed these safety measures:
- Guests and team members are required to wear face coverings.
- Guests and team members are required to undergo temperature checks. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater will not be able to enter Universal CityWalk or the theme parks.
- Staggered parking within the parking garage to help create distance between travel groups.
- Limiting and reducing daily park attendance and attraction ridership in Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay.
- Increasing cleaning and disinfection of food locations, ride vehicles and other frequent “touchpoints” that go beyond already-aggressive cleaning procedures.
- Social distancing at all locations through the parks, within attractions and queues and at restaurants.
- Having Virtual Line available for select attractions.
- Offering cashless payments and “no touch” policies where possible.
Guests can also expect reduced daily admission, staggered parking and managed ridership, show attendance and restaurant seating.
The phased reopening will start June 1 and June 2 with employee preview days, then on June 3 and 4 a limited number of guests will be allowed inside before the public reopening the next day.
“We want to invite guests back to our theme parks in a cautious and thoughtful way,” said Tom Williams, chairman and chief executive officer for Universal Parks & Resorts. “We have put new health and safety procedures in place for both our team members and guests. And we have worked hard to make sure our guests can enjoy their time with family and friends. Doing this the right way will take all of us — and we need everyone’s help. Guests should follow our guidelines and continue to follow the recommendations of the CDC and health officials.”
CityWalk was one of the first local hot spots to open. The shopping and dining area began operations May 14 with limited hours.
Also on Friday, news came that Fun Spot would be allowed to start rides back up before the Memorial Day weekend. Its plans were approved by Demings on Thursday and sent to the state for the final judgment.