In travel news for February 15, 2022 we share some welcome news from Disney Theme Parks as well as Universal Studios, and we have an update on when Japan will finally allow travelers to visit.
Walt Disney Resorts has recently made an announcement that many of their guests will be thrilled to hear. Starting Thursday, February 17 Disney World Resorts and Disney Land Resorts will no longer require masks for fully vaccinated guests. Unvaccinated visitors will still need to wear a facemark indoors. The updated mask policy will not apply to enclosed Disney transportation including monorails, the Disney Skyline, and buses. Of course children under the age of 2 are exempt from the current mask rules.
Universal Studios in Florida has revised their Mask Mandate as well. Currently they will no longer require masks for any vaccinated attendee. This applies to both indoor as well as outdoor areas. This new policy will apply to staff as well as guests.
Japan has been one of the most difficult to visit countries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan also happens to be the most asked about destination from our clients. Recently when asked about allowing foreign travelers to return to the country, the Prime Minister told Associated Press reporters “I plan to look into easing the border controls”. Unfortunately there has been no further details or timelines. While this might not sound like good news, this actually is. Up until now Japan has been silent on the topic of allowing travelers to visit the island.
Japans current entry restrictions remain in place to the end of February, so any changes wouldn’t come till March at the earliest. Many in the travel industry don’t expect Japan to reopen their boarders until the countries COVID numbers start to come down. On February 15th Japan records over 83,000 new cases, which was the second highest in the world. Our best guess is that Japan won’t open till late spring or early summer. As more information becomes available we will share it with you on future episodes of Today in Travel.