DIS Walt Disney Co

By Spencer Jakab 

You can't ward off Covid-19 by wishing upon a star, but a mask will help.

To its credit, when it officially reopened its Magic Kingdom on Saturday, Walt Disney World went beyond a policy to "recommend and encourage" the face coverings as fellow Florida theme park Legoland has. They were mandatory for all guests 2 and over.

Even so, the decision to reopen the park highlights some stark international differences. On Sunday, Florida reported 15,300 new cases of Covid-19 -- a daily record for any state. On Monday, Hong Kong reported a multi-month high of 52, prompting its own Disneyland to close again. Note that it is no small city, with a population of around 7.5 million.

Those visiting Hong Kong Disneyland almost certainly came with their own masks, as they are nearly ubiquitous there. Many Americans eschew them and may not have had one when they showed up at the Orlando theme park. Disney World helpfully installed vending machines selling plain ones for $2 each at its gates -- a sensible move and a fair price.

But Disney wouldn't be Disney if it didn't see a merchandising opportunity too. It will sell you a four pack of cloth masks depicting characters such as Mickey Mouse for $19.99. One angle Disney missed, though, was combining a mask with mouse ears. At least one Etsy entrepreneur has filled that niche.

Write to Spencer Jakab at spencer.jakab@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 13, 2020 12:14 ET (16:14 GMT)

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