Potential Benefits Of Using An ECV Or Wheelchair After COVID-19
8 min read
Image: Gold Mobility Scooters LLC
As I’m writing this blog post, we are still dealing with COVID-19. What could be the potential benefits of using an ECV or wheelchair after COVID-19 when the parks reopen? We’re slowly recovering from the situation but, with guarded and calibrated steps. This blog is entirely devoted to mobility issues and how to cope with them at theme parks. Using a mobility scooter (ECV) or wheelchair is the most significant step you can take to enjoy what theme parks offer if you have mobility concerns. Why stop at the theme parks? You can also make use of a mobility scooter or wheelchair on Disney Cruise ships and at Disney’s Castaway Cay.
Also, I started thinking about how using a mobility scooter, or wheelchair can also assist in minimizing surface contacts by us while at the parks. We are a hands-on society where handshaking and up-close conversations and interactions are standard. COVID-19 has changed all of that for now and into the foreseeable future.
However, when reopened, the theme parks will be completely different from what we remember. I don’t want to jump on the bandwagon and speculate about what to expect in the future. It is what it is, or in this case, it’s going to be what’s it’s going to be. We’ll just have to adapt to many changes and restrictions. It will be to a “new normal.”
After COVID-19: It’s Going To Affect All Aspects Of Our Daily Lives And Routines
COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our lives. These include work environments, social gatherings, going to school, grocery shopping, attendance at places of worship, etc. The list is limitless, but life will continue, but with constraints that will be ever-present. What I want to attempt with this blog post is create a sense of “situational awareness” and how may using a mobility scooter or wheelchair provide you with additional benefits other than for ease of movement within the parks.
Some of the measures that I’ve read about for reopening could include limited admission to prevent overcrowding, requirements for social distancing, hand sanitization stations, mandatory mask-wearing, and temperature screening. I doubt that Disney parades, fireworks, or any events that draw crowds will continue, at least in the short term. Nothing is definite at the moment, but change is coming, and these measures must be employed to ensure our overall health and safety.
Fireworks Displays Bring Large Crowds Together At Cinderella’s Castle
Food safety, at the parks, will be of utmost importance. There will be monumental changes. I think that the coveted buffets will cease to exist as currently structured. I’m sure that Disney will come up with a reasonable solution so the buffets can continue in the long term. I’m sure that there will be many other blog posts and articles dedicated to the issue of food/dining in the post-COVID-19 era forthcoming.
Phased Reopening Of Disney Springs On Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Disney Springs has a phased reopening set for today, Wednesday, May 20, 2020. It will act as a test location for the necessary steps required for the reopening of all of Walt Disney World theme parks, transportation, resorts, and other attractions. Click on this link for more detailed information about the reopening of Disney Springs, which appeared May 16, 2020, in a USA Today online article written by Travel Reporter, Morgan Hines.
Disney Management recently negotiated an agreement with unions representing employees at the parks. This agreement outlined the procedures that Disney will employ to ensure the safety and well-being of the employees once back on the job. It’s information like this that implies Disney World is close to announcing plans for reopening. I think that it’s going to be sometime in July, but again this is just my best guess estimate. The information was published on CNBC Thursday, May 14, 2020, and headlined, Disney, reaches deal with Walt Disney World unions on safeguards for returning to work.
Reopening Schedule At Shanghai Disneyland Facilities And Similar Steps That Disney World Could Enact
Disneytown, Wishing Star Park, and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel reopened with Limited Operations on March 09, 2020. The theme park, Shanghai Disneyland, eventually opened on May 11, 2020. Disney World may adopt a similar timeline, but only time will tell! The implementation of the following is the guidelines formulated for reopening the Shanghai facilities. It will give you more insight into what to expect when Walt Disney World reopens. Following is a link to an article by the Associated Press published in USA Today on May 11, 2020. The headline reads, ‘A very special moment’: Shanghai Disneyland reopens with precautions after coronavirus shutdown.
Shanghai Disneyland has enacted an extensive range of measures, designed to ensure a safe and healthy experience for all guests, Cast Members, and Disneytown tenant employees. Some of these include strict and comprehensive approaches to sanitization, disinfection, and cleanliness.
Following relevant Chinese regulations, every guest entering the Shanghai Disney Resort will undergo temperature screening procedures upon their arrival. They will need to present their Health QR Code when entering dining venues and will be required to wear a mask during their entire visit. Guests will need to maintain respectful social distances at all times while in stores, ride and attraction queues, and restaurants.
Image: Associated Press Photo Sam McNeil
Benefits Other Than Just Mobility While Using A Mobility Scooter Or Wheelchair After COVID-19
While sitting on your mobility scooter or in your wheelchair, you do not have to touch anything you would normally be inclined to touch. For instance, you don’t have to grab any handrails while waiting in a ride or attraction queue. You are not going to leaning on walls, rails, or anything that gives you support while you wait. Let’s face it, we all do without even realizing it.
Another benefit of coping with COVID-19 is, you have your own seat! Other than transferring to a ride or going to the restroom, you usually would not have to get out of your mobility aid. You’ll have fewer surfaces to touch that everyone else has touched. With most scooters and wheelchairs, you can just pull up to the table while dining. If the scooter has a swivel seat, that’s a great advantage. Again you don’t have to expose yourself to another surface such as a chair in the dining area.
Image: Gold Mobility Scooters LLC
An ECV Or Wheelchair Creates Spatial Distance And Less Physical Contact Using Disney Transport Modes
On any Disney transportation such as a Disney Transport bus, you can stay in your mobility scooter or wheelchair and not have to transfer to a seat during transit. Not having to touch a support pole or any other means of physical support means less contact with yet another surface.
A mobility scooter is approximately 4 feet long. That creates an automatic spatial distance from people in front and behind you. Most people will not crowd the front and rear of the scooter while waiting in a line. A wheelchair isn’t as large, but it still affords you some automatic distancing. Unfortunately, some will so you may have to tell them to give you some distance. Sure, you’ll probably get a dirty look, but who cares! Better to be safe than sorry.
Bringing Hand Sanitizer And Disinfecting Wipes With You Will Benefit Your Post-COVID-19 Trip
When the theme parks reopen, be prepared. To begin with, you’ll enjoy less crowded conditions. An already clean environment will be even more so with the procedures that Walt Disney World puts into place. Carry hand sanitizer with you and clean your hands frequently. Bring disinfecting wipes to wipe down surfaces that you touch. These could include scooter steering handles or any other thing you may be inclined to put your hands on. I use a cane while walking for support and stability. Many times, I’ve used the cane tip to push the automatic door openers to open the door. In hindsight, it’s one less surface that I had to touch.
Wear an appropriate mask and wear it correctly. That means covering your nose and mouth. If you wear glasses, that’s even one more defense. I understand that the virus can enter your body through droplets getting into your eyes. If you don’t wear regular glasses, sunglasses will do the trick.
After COVID-19: Start With A Clean And Sanitized ECV Or Wheelchair
If you are renting a scooter or wheelchair, start with a clean and sanitized unit. Here is a link to a post that I did a while back about the way Gold Mobility Scooters were cleaning and sanitizing their equipment. Also, check out the free options that you can get with your ECV rental when renting from Gold Mobility Scooters. A cane holder was the option on my last rental. It came in handy as I whipped out the cane and gently (at least most of the time) stabbed the tip into the automatic door opener.
In conclusion, I’m sure that you understand the point I’m trying to make. Using an ECV or wheelchair will give you additional opportunities and potential benefits for protecting yourself from exposure to COVID-19. Be safe, enjoy your experience, and do whatever you need to do to protect yourself and your family!!
If you can think of other ways that using a mobility scooter or wheelchair can help you avoid contracting COVID-19, please send me an email. You can do so by using the Contact Tab or by sending it directly to me at john@themeparkmobility.com. I’ll post any useful thoughts by adding them to this post.
Additional Comments From Readers
One reader contacted me and suggested that “being in a mobility scooter creates a kind of bubble around the user as they move through a crowd. People want to be polite, and also want to avoid a wheel over their foot.” That is a good thought. Thanks for your input, Kevin! May 21, 2020.
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