DISNEY REOPENING DRUMS : APPLAUSE

Walt Disney World - the Florida theme park that is one of the largest tourist sites on the planet, has plan to reopen in mid-July.

But the necessary safety protocols - limiting the number of visitors, making face masks mandatory, deploying roaming squads to enforce social distancing, no longer allowing people to -

To get up close and personal with Mickey Mouse - shows how difficult it will be operate once -booming attractions as the country prepares for a broader reopening.

''We're growing slow because we want to make constant progress and not have to backtrack,'' Bob Chapek, Disney's chief executive, said by phone from Florida on Wednesday. ''The risk is going too far, too fast.''

Disney's theme parks, some with Main Street entrances, loom large in the popular imagination as symbols of Americana.

Disney World has been closed since March 15 because of the pandemic, and its reopening carries a certain symbolism in itself, an attempt by fans to to reclaim a semblance of normal life and an effort by coronavirus battered Disney to demonstrate that a visit will remain a cultural rite of passage for many children.

The Orange County Recovery Task Force in Orlando approved reopening plans for Disney World and nearby Sea World on Wednesday but pressed executives about how they would enforce mask wearing, something that has become a contentious issue as more people return to public places and may pose difficulties for vacationers in the Florida heat.

Jim MacPhee, Disney's World's senior vice president for operations, said signs would have ''strong language'' and that ''high energy squads'' of employees would remind guests about compliance.

He said Disney might establish ''relaxation zones'' where guests can take off their masks.

Walt Disney World consists of six separately ticketed parks with combined annual attendance of 93 million. The two most popular ones, the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom, will reopen on July 11.

Disney world's other major parks, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, will reopen on July 15.

The National Basketball Association has been in discussions with Disney to restart its season in late July by holding games and practices and housing players at the resort. Mr. Chapek said he was ''very optimistic'' about making a deal with the league.

[Disney-owned ESPN is a broadcast partner with of the N.B.A.] Major League Soccer is also in talks to restart its season from the resort's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which Mr. Chapek noted high security and ''turnkey'' broadcasting capabilities.

Mr. Chapek declined to say how many people Disney would let into its parks. The number is likely to be less than half of pre-outbreak capacity, at least at first.

Major Disney parks can handle 80,000 people a day. In China, where Shanghai Disneyland reopened on May 11, the government limited attendance to one-third of normal capacity.

Visiting any theme park will be very different than in the past, at least until a vaccine is widely available.

Universal's reopening plan involves staggered parking to create distance between groups and increased mobile ordering at reataurants. Mr. Chapek said seats would be left empty on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean to separate guests and that restaurant seatings will be reduced by half.

Shops will have new signage : ''Help us protect the Magic. Please limit handling of the product.''

And Disney will add a new reservation system for park entry; visitors can no longer walk up and buy a ticket. All visitors will have their temperatures checked.

Disney will start working with local unions to reopen at least some of its 18 Disney World Hotels. ''We will accordion hotel capacity up and down as needed,'' Mr. Chapek said, noting that about 50 percent of Disney World guests typically stay a Disney-owned hotel.

The honor and serving of the State-of-Reopening for the world, continues. The World Students Society thanks author, Brooks Barnes.