Universal Orlando announces reopening date

Universal Orlando plans to reopen to the public on June 5.

Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay will reopen with limited attendance on that date.

“This carefully managed reopening comes with stringent new health, safety and hygiene procedures in place. So, as we enjoy our parks together again, everyone will need to follow CDC guidelines and the recommendations of health officials, and Universal Orlando’s policies,” the resort said in a statement released on Friday.

“Note that any public location where people are present provides an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 and we cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed during your visit,” Universal said.

A fact sheet related to the reopening says that guests will be required to wear a face covering during their visit. Masks will be available for purchase for those guests who don’t have a face covering.

Universal will implement guest temperature checks, and guests with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be able to enter, according to the fact sheet.

All menus will be single-use, mobile ordering will be available for select venues and spacing will be implemented in ride vehicles and lines. Guests will be required to use hand sanitizer prior to boarding rides.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed off on Universal’s plans, the company said. The reopening proposal was first presented on Thursday at a virtual meeting of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force. The task force approved the proposal, as did Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

Demings conveyed his support for the proposal in a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In the letter, Demings said that an on-site inspection of safety procedures and protocols was conducted by a team of medical doctors and senior members of the Planning, Development and Environmental Services Department from both Orange County and the Florida Department of Health.

Universal has theme parks in Orlando, Los Angeles, Japan and Singapore, all of which are temporarily closed. However, the CityWalk portion of Universal Orlando — featuring shops and dining — partially reopened on May 14.