Orlando’s crop of Halloween Horror attractions are opening full boar in the midst of the pandemic. Scare actors are hard pressed to compete against the daily horrors of anti vaxers and anti maskers who selfishly spread the horrors of COVID-19 in the name of freedom. They have gone so far as to adopt the star of David which marked the Jews during WWII claiming that being forced to get a vaccine is equal to the holocaust. Their is no limit to their horror.
Halloween Horror Nights, and two Florida-based Howl-O-Scream events don’t require guests to wear masks, they are “encouraged”. Some of the scare actors at Howl-O-Scream had facial coverings that had facial features printed on them to blend in with the intended character.
A Petrified Forest has the added benefit of being outside where the virus can potentially disparate on a breeze.
With Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis specifically blocking masking mandates and vaccine passports, it is a real challenge to keep actors and participants safe.
NYC theaters that are finally opening back up and they are requiring audiences to prove vaccination or a negative test and they must wear a mask at the performance. Disney started requiring masks for guests again when COVID cases ticked back upwards due to the Delta variant, but Universal Studios and Sea World, do not require masks, including at their haunt events. Social distancing markers are also long gone, so press together in mass crowds and share the horror. What could go wrong?
Local actors are also not showing up for auditions. What actor can compete against the real life horror of so many anti vaccination Karens? They are an army of the damned. Florida has passed the peak of Delta Variant hospitalizations but deaths continue to rise and will likely continue to do so for several weeks. The Florida governor also does his best to hide the death numbers for as long as possible. If he sweeps them under the rug or spreads them out he could possible be considered a candidate for president.
The Delta surge is even more deadly than the surge back in January 2021. Infections among children and teenagers have increased by 28% over the week before with some children’s hospitals noticing an uptick in admissions as well in the first few weeks back at school. An infant died in Orange County this week. Florida has now surpasses 50,000 deaths. That is more deaths than what can be seen in most countries around the world. Good luck searching for your Halloween Horrors.