Bob Iger Says Disney Parks Considering Screening Guests for Illnesses

Executive Chairman and former CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, hinted that the company's theme parks could possibly screen guests for illnesses when they eventually reopen to the public.

In a recent interview with Barron's, Iger called the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the "biggest by far in terms of challenges" and stressed the importance of both keeping and ensuring guests feel safe in a post-shutdown world.

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"One of the things that we’re discussing already is that in order to return to some semblance of normal, people will have to feel comfortable that they’re safe. Some of that could come in the form ultimately of a vaccine, but in the absence of that it could come from basically, more scrutiny, more restrictions," he said. "Just as we now do bag checks for everybody that goes into our parks, it could be that at some point we add a component of that that takes people’s temperatures, as a for-instance."

Iger said that Disney officials have been "studying very carefully what China has been trying to do in terms of their return to normalcy."

"You can’t get on a bus or a subway or a train or enter a high-rise building there—and I’m sure this will be the case when their schools reopen—without having your temperature taken," he told Barron's.

Iger compared the potential efforts to policies implemented after 9/11.

"So we’ve asked ourselves the question, let’s prepare for a world where our customers demand that we scrutinize everybody. Even if it creates a little bit of hardship, like it takes a little bit longer for people to get in," he added.

Disney's theme parks, hotels and cruise line have been shuttered for nearly a month in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and travel agents have been advised that bookings will only be accepted for dates after June 1, 2020.