Pence Visits Tourism-Reliant Florida as Disney Shops Reopen
Vice President Mike Pence visited central Florida to meet with tourism officials Wednesday as the region’s biggest tourist destination — Walt Disney World — began reopening a shopping and entertainment complex.
During his trip to Orlando, Pence was also scheduled to talk to the governor and drop off protective equipment at a nursing home as tourism, the state’s biggest industry, continued taking steps toward reopening.
Some third-party shops at the Disney Springs complex opened Wednesday with new requirements and restrictions. All worker, and visitors older than 2 must wear masks, temperatures will be checked at entrances to keep out anyone with a temperature higher than 100.4 and a limited number of people will be admitted to allow social distancing at the high-end outdoor shopping area with restaurants, and a bowling alley.
Walt Disney World and its crosstown rivals, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, have been closed since mid-March in an effort to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Officials haven’t said when theme parks and hotels at the resorts will reopen.
Florida’s tourist-reliant economy was crippled this spring with the closures of the theme parks, beaches, convention centers and hotels. More than 2 million Floridians have filed jobless claims in a state with a 10 million-person workforce before the pandemic.
Critics of the Trump administration called the vice president’s visit “too little too late.”
“It’s not enough to show up for a photo op two months later,” said Terrie Rizzo, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party in an online news conference with reporters on Tuesday.
To Read The Full Story
Are you already a subscriber?
Click "Sign In" to log in!
Become a Web Subscriber
Click “Subscribe” below to begin the process of becoming a new subscriber.
Become a Print + Web Subscriber
Click “Subscribe” below to begin the process of becoming a new subscriber.
Renew Print + Web Subscription
Click “Renew Subscription” below to begin the process of renewing your subscription.