ORLANDO, Fla. _ Quarantined alone for weeks, Kristen Hariton listens to Walt Disney World ride soundtracks while she works in her one-bedroom condo.
Her music playlist is the best she can do right now since she has lost her happiest place on Earth.
Hariton says she would do anything, including wear a mask, to return to the theme parks again.
"I truly believe if there's anything we can do as individuals to make our collective group safer, I'm certainly willing to do that," said Hariton, an annual Disney passholder from New Jersey who works for a real estate tech company.
Face masks could be mandatory for tourists whenever Disney World and Universal theme parks reopen. The potential policy has fueled a debate that previews some of the enforcement challenges ahead as the parks devise safety plans for the highly contagious coronavirus.
"Along with social distancing, one of the things that we are likely going to require is masks for both the cast and the guest," Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a May 11 interview on CNBC. He acknowledged the biggest challenge to reopening Disneyland and Disney World would be visitors adjusting to face coverings.
Several theme-park connected businesses are opening this month at Universal CityWalk and Disney Springs with mask requirements in place for employees and visitors.
"Yes, we are considering face coverings," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder wrote in an email. "We will use the learnings we gain from our CityWalk reopening along with continued guidance from the CDC and health professionals to make a decision about our theme park operating protocols."
SeaWorld theme parks will require masks for employees, the company said earlier this month, although company officials declined to say if those rules would apply to visitors, too.
