US Disney resorts to end mask mandate for vaccinated visitors

Vaccinated guests at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts will no longer be required to wear masks starting this week. 

Walt Disney World Resorts in Florida announced on their website that as of Feb. 17, masks will be optional for fully vaccinated visitors in indoor and outdoor locations, but guests who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to wear masks in all indoor locations and indoor attractions.

Masks will still be required for all guests on Disney transportation, including buses, monorails and the Disney Skyliner. 

A Disneyland spokesperson told CNN that their resort in Anaheim, Calif., will enforce the same policy as Walt Disney World Resorts effective Feb. 17. 

Disney implemented its current mask mandate for its Florida and California resorts in July as the delta variant caused a surge in coronavirus cases in the U.S. 

The news comes as the U.S. averaged 34,034 new COVID-19 cases and 161,197 average cases over a seven-day period on Feb. 13, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).