Walt Disney World Places Employee Vaccine Mandate On Hold

According to a cast member, the Most Magical Place on Earth is putting its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on hold.

Longtime cast member Nick Caturano told Fox 35 that Walt Disney World, which operates in Orlando, Florida, sent an internal memo notifying employees of the change. 

Disney attributed the pause to Governor Ron DeSantis’ new legislation aimed at protecting workers from vaccine mandates.

But, the company says that 90 percent of Florida-based cast members have already been verified as fully vaccinated. Employees choosing not to receive the shot will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing, among other protocols.

“We believe that our approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we’ve continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and Guests, and at this point, more than 90 percent of active Florida-based Cast Members have already verified that they are fully vaccinated,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet. “We will address legal developments as appropriate.”

The mandate was announced in July, as the Delta variant began to spread and case numbers rose again. At the time, it applied to all on-site salaried and non-union hourly employees in the United States.