Mask issues have gone digital at Disney, but the company has ended up with egg on its face instead of an anti-Covid mask after a fumbled flirtation with Photoshopping masks onto non-compliant riders on its rides.
Disney World in Florida, which has drawn criticism over operating with Covid cases rising, enforces safety rules for entry and requires masks, but numbers of people have been taking off their masks on the rides, especially as they pass the cameras that take their souvenir-for-sale photos.
Disney officials initially responded by notifying that it would not sell photos showing people without masks. After pushback by customers who were in those pictures but wore their masks, the company began making them available to the masked riders—but with masks added to the non-compliant, such as the woman at the top of the picture above.
But after complaints started circulating in Disney fan groups and the story hit the news, Disney back-tracked and said it would stop adding the masks, passing it off as an experiment. A Disney statement makes it official: “In response to guest requests, we tested modifying some ride photos. We are no longer doing this and continue to expect guests to wear face coverings except when actively eating or drinking while stationary.”
Pictures will still not be available for the maskless.
