Things were very different in Disney World when the parks reopened in 2020.

Although it was almost four years ago, most who visited during that time will never forget having to wear a mask everywhere (both indoors and outdoors), as well as what it was like to stand in line six feet away from the person in front of you (something we kind of miss). There were temperature checks at the gates, too. So, if you’ve been keeping up with the latest news, you might know there’s been an uptick in COVID-19 infections in the U.S. again. So should you be worried about how that could affect Disney World?

According to AP News, more hospitals are now requiring masks right now due to a surge in both the flu and COVID-19. In New York City, mask mandates have been reinstated for all of the city’s 11 hospitals. Some hospitals in Los Angeles and Massachusetts have also started requiring masks, as other hospitals have reinstated mask rules for employees.

Over the past few weeks, both flu and COVID-19 cases have been going up, with high levels of flu symptoms being reported in 31 states before Christmas. Many health officials believe cases will also grow in January.

However, there is some good news. Cases of both flu and COVID-19 are expected to peak by the end of the month and then decrease. The flu that’s going around is mostly caused by a less deadly strain than other versions, while current flu vaccinations seem to be working well with this particular strain.

“I don’t think it’s going to be overwhelming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. He deemed the current season “moderately severe.”

Cases of COVID-19 are causing more severe illness than the flu, but the increase in cases hasn’t been rising as much. A new variant, JN.1, has emerged, though, and health officials are keeping an eye on it. Before Christmas, it accounted for 44% of new COVID-19 cases. Although the variant may spread easier, there is no proof so far that it is any more severe than previous variants, and cases are responding well to vaccines and antiviral medications.

So will this affect Disney World? Well, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be seeing those signs anytime soon requiring visitors to wear a mask, and we doubt we’ll have to do temperature checks again, so it will probably just be business as usual throughout the resort. However, if you DO get sick, you are urged to wear a mask to prevent spreading illnesses to other people.

Other than that, we can recommend washing your hands with soap and water when you can and keeping hand sanitizer in your park bag.

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

7 Perks That Ended With COVID and Never Returned to Disney World

Do you think Disney World would ever reinstate COVID-19 safety measures again? Let us know in the comments!

The post Should You Be Worried about COVID Again at Disney World? first appeared on the disney food blog.