No masks or social distancing needed for fully vaccinated guests at Hersheypark

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Hersheypark says fully vaccinated guests will no longer need to wear a mask or practice social distancing while visiting the amusement park.

The park's operational update follows the guidance from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued Thursday, which allows those who are fully vaccinated to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

"Throughout this pandemic, we have followed the guidance from our national and state health experts to provide a safe environment for our guests and team members," the park said in a statement Friday.

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Hersheypark says all vaccinated guests are free to continue to wear face coverings if they choose to do so.

The park says guests 2 years of age and older who are not fully vaccinated must wear face coverings during their visit, except while eating or drinking. As of now, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one approved for children 12 and older. No vaccine has been approved yet for children younger than 12 years of age.

Hersheypark says it is relying on their guests to "accurately follow the guidelines based on their vaccination status," since there is no surefire way for businesses or others to distinguish between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not.

The CDC's guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

U.S. virus cases are at their lowest rate since September, deaths are at their lowest point since last April and the test positivity rate is at the lowest point since the pandemic began.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.