ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and other Florida theme parks have reopened amid the ongoing pandemic, but, according to Orange County health officials, there have been no coronavirus outbreaks linked to them.

What You Need To Know

  • No outbreaks associated with theme parks

  • Orange County health officials said no links established

  • Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld reopened with new safety measures

Last week, Orange County health officer Dr. Raul Pino said the health department had not seen any coronavirus spread from the theme parks, and that still seems to be the case.

In a coronavirus briefing Monday, Pino was asked how many coronavirus cases had been traced back to the theme parks in the area. Pino said that while the department had seen isolated cases that mention the parks, it hadn’t seen any outbreaks.

“So there are people in our community that want to have an outbreak in the parks, and we are looking for an outbreak in the parks, and we have not seen it,” Pino said. “It doesn’t mean it has not happened, we haven’t been able to triangulate that data.”

“If the question is have you seen any cases that may have mentioned a park? Yes, we have,” Pino added. “Can we establish transmission at the parks? We have not been able to establish transmissions at the parks, yet.”

Disney World faced sharp criticism for reopening its theme parks earlier this month as coronavirus cases spiked in Florida. The resort implemented health and safety measures across its property, including mandatory face masks, temperature checks, social distancing policies, and increased sanitization procedures. Disney’s parks are also operating with reduced capacity.

In June, competitors Universal and SeaWorld reopened their theme parks with similar measures in place.

Pino said Monday that health department teams recently visited SeaWorld and were impressed with the compliance there. He also praised Disney World and Universal for how they have handled the reopening of their parks.

“Disney has done a wonderful job, Universal, too,” Pino said.

On Tuesday, Florida reported 9,230 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state’s total to nearly 442,000. The state also reported 186 new deaths, pushing the statewide toll to more than 6,100.