SAN ANTONIO – If you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and you visit SeaWorld San Antonio or Aquatica, you won’t be required to wear a face mask.
A SeaWorld spokesperson made the policy change announcement Friday, May 14, just one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its mask-wearing guidance.
The CDC’s guidance still calls for masks in crowded indoor settings, such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons, homeless shelters, etc., but not in all venues, such as workplaces or schools, according to a report from the Associated Press. The CDC also removed guidelines for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
If you are not fully vaccinated, you’ll still need to wear a face mask when out in public and will need to social distance from others by six feet, according to the CDC.
Both SeaWorld and Aquatica will not require proof of vaccination; however, a parks spokesperson said they are asking their guests to “respectfully comply” with the revised policy.
The full statements can be read below:
SeaWorld:
- “Based on the recently announced guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, we are modifying our policy regarding face coverings at some of our SeaWorld parks. Face coverings will no longer be required for guests at SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Antonio who are fully vaccinated in accordance with CDC guidance. We will not require proof of vaccine, but ask our guests to respectfully comply with our revised policy. In California where the state and local guidance mandates face coverings, we will require all guests at SeaWorld San Diego to wear face coverings until further notice. All SeaWorld park employees will be required to continue to wear face coverings at this time. The safety of our guests, Ambassadors and animals in our care remains our top priority. We will continue to monitor and address this changing environment as necessary. For more information, guests can stay up to date on our park policies by visiting our dedicated safety website.”
Aquatica:
- “Based on the recently announced guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, we are modifying our policy regarding face coverings at some of our Aquatica water parks. Face coverings will no longer be required for guests at Aquatica Orlando and Aquatica San Antonio who are fully vaccinated in accordance with CDC guidance. We will not require proof of vaccine, but ask our guests to respectfully comply with our revised policy. In California where the state and local guidance mandates face coverings, we will require all guests at Aquatica San Diego to wear face coverings until further notice. All Aquatica park employees will be required to continue to wear face coverings at this time. The safety of our guests, Ambassadors and animals in our care remains our top priority. We will continue to monitor and address this changing environment as necessary. For more information, guests can stay up to date on our park policies by visiting our dedicated safety website.”
For more information on the CDC’s adjusted guidelines for those who have been fully vaccinated, visit its website here.