Face Covering Required
As a travel planner for Royal Treatment Travel, I have had to deal with the new normal of travel in the time of COVID-19. Many of us have been sheltering in place or being extra cautious for the past few months. COVID-19 has also forced most popular tourist destinations to close. Over the past month, many of them have begun the process of reopening to the public, but with strict guidelines and protocols designed to protect the health and safety of both their staff and guests. These include: reduced capacity, social distancing markers, temperature checks, and extra cleaning of commonly touched areas. The one protocol that has many concerned about traveling is the required face coverings and especially for children over the age of 2. Read our suggestions when a Face Covering is Required.
Children and Masks
Many of the clients that I work with are families and have children under the age of 10. Travelers tell us they are worried about having a child wear a mask all day. Wearing a face covering in the heat is also a worry. These are all valid concerns when planning a family vacation that can be very expensive, but there are some things that you can do to lessen those fears.
Make a Custom Mask
As a father of two and a Disney fanatic, I cannot wait to get back to the parks. I have accepted the fact that face coverings are going to be the new normal whether I go to Disney or when my kids attend school. We have been trying to come up with a plan to make sure that it is not an issue for my children and one of the best things we did was make wearing a mask a little more personal and fun. During the height of the pandemic there were many crafty people and big companies who started to make cloth masks. Some of them are solid colors, but others have come up with masks that have patterns, rhinestones, cartoon and movie characters, and even Fortnite avatars. Take the time now to order cloth masks from many of these places and make sure that your children’s masks are something they love. Whether it was Baby Yoda,The Avengers, or the Haunted Mansion wallpaper, we made sure that the masks were fun and that my kids would want to wear them.
Mask Free Zones
With many people taking trips during the hot summer months, the idea of wearing a face covering in the hot Florida sun is not a pleasant one. “I am going to sweat” and “How will I be able to breathe?” are the biggest things that I hear. Well the good news is that many of the locations have what they call Mask Free Zones where you can take off your mask, socially distance, and catch your breath. You can always head to one of the air conditioned shops to cool off as well. Guests are also allowed to remove the face covering while sitting down to eat a meal or while they are eating or drinking on the go. Water parks do not require face coverings in the water. Remember the mask is to protect those around you.
A mask free zone at Universal Orlando
Face coverings are going to be a requirement for the near future. Many states have mandated that you must wear a face covering in public and some places have set expiration dates into 2021. They are going to be here to stay for a while and will be the new normal going forward. All the parks require a face covering to entry. Parks will also have people enforcing social distancing. Hopefully soon there will be no need to wear them, but for the foreseeable future we are going to have to take precautions to make sure that we not only have fun on our vacations, but also keep our families safe as well as others.