MIAMI (NYTIMES) - Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, will reopen on Saturday (July 11), and Disney has been posting marketing videos online to highlight the safety procedures it has designed to protect visitors and employees.

"I feel safe because Disney has gone above and beyond what they needed to do," an employee named Sam says in one of them while standing near Fantasyland.

Some of the 1,000-plus responses to that particular video were supportive. Others were incredulous, with people using words like "irresponsible" and "disappointing". "Stay. Closed. Please," one person wrote.

The pandemic has devastated Disney's businesses, and reopening its signature tourist attraction - with restricted capacity and government approval - is a major part of the company's comeback attempt. But in doing so, Disney is stepping into a politicised debate surrounding the virus and efforts to keep people safe, where even the wearing of masks has become a point of bitter contention.

Complicating matters, Disney is allowing people to return to a modified Disney World while other parts of its empire remain closed. Mulan was supposed to arrive in movie theatres on July 24, but Disney postponed the release to Aug 21 because of surging coronavirus cases nationwide and the likely unavailability of theatres in New York and Los Angeles. Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, recently slowed down the reopening of theme parks in California, including Disneyland, which had been scheduled to come back on July 17.

The Florida Department of Health reported 9,989 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday (July 8), with 1,251 in the central part of the state, which includes Orlando. The statewide number is among the highest in the country, leading some to question whether Disney is being responsible in reopening Disney World.

"The world is changing around us, but we strongly believe that we can open safely and responsibly," Josh D'Amaro, Disney's theme park chairman, said in an interview. "For those that might have questions or concerns, when they see how we are operating and the aggressive protocols that we have put in place, they will understand."

"This is our new normal. Our new reality," he continued. "Covid is here, and we have a responsibility to figure out the best approach to safely operate in this new normal. Businesses across the country are open, whether it's a local pizza shop in Orlando or an airline taking on new guests."

D'Amaro said Disney's four theme parks in Asia had reopened "without incident".

He declined to say how many people would be allowed into Disney's Florida parks, although he said visitors should expect a "sparse" atmosphere, rather than the usual crowds. Shanghai Disneyland initially limited attendance to about 20 per cent of its pre-outbreak capacity.

County and state officials have approved Disney World's reopening plan. Unions representing roughly 48,000 Disney World employees have signed agreements with Disney to return to work under rigid safety protocols.

Many fans are ready to visit. When Disney began taking park reservations on June 24 - you can no longer walk up and buy a ticket, allowing the company to restrict capacity - the surge of interest crashed the booking system; some reservation blocks were gone within minutes.

And competing attractions resumed operations weeks ago. Universal reopened its three Orlando theme parks on June 5, while SeaWorld Orlando brought back its rides and marine exhibits on June 11. Legoland in Winter Haven and Busch Gardens in Tampa have also been selling tickets again. Legoland does not require masks.

But none of those places has the prominence of Disney World, which consists of six separately ticketed parks with a combined attendance of 93 million in 2019. The two most popular ones, the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom, will reopen on Saturday. Disney World's other major parks, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, are set to reopen next Wednesday. Two water parks will remain closed. Disney Springs, an outdoor shopping mall, reopened on May 20. The National Basketball Association will restart its season on July 30 at a Disney World sports facility.

For visitors, the Disney World experience will be drastically different. Parades, fireworks and most indoor shows have been suspended. There will be no opportunities to hug Mickey Mouse or other costumed characters. Fingerprint scanners will not be used at park entrances.

Disney, known for its militaristic style of theme park management, will require face coverings for all employees and visitors over the age of two. Disney will also take temperatures, leave seats empty on rides and run loudspeaker announcements urging people to frequently wash their hands. Plexiglass partitions have been installed in shops and restaurants. Disney has added 4,000 hand-sanitising stations.

"Disney's approach seems reasonable," said Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University who is part a group that will review vaccine data as advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If Disney strictly enforces the safety procedures it has outlined - no exceptions - it will keep the risk very low for visitors and employees."

Even so, he said, anyone over the age of 60 should postpone visiting.

Some Disney World employees have said they do not feel safe returning to work under the conditions that Disney has laid out.

Actors' Equity, which represents about 750 Disney World performers, has been sparring with the company over coronavirus testing. The union has refused to allow members to return to work until Disney provides regular tests. Company-orchestrated testing is not part of Disney's back-to-work plan for any of its park employees. (Disney World employs roughly 75,000 people.)

"It is deeply disturbing that while coronavirus cases in Florida surge, Disney is refusing to provide regular testing to one of the few groups of workers in the park who by the very nature of their jobs cannot use personal protective equipment," Mary McColl, executive director of the Actors' Equity Association, said in a statement last week.

A spokesman for Disney Parks and Experiences, Alannah Hall-Smith, said in an e-mail on Tuesday that Actors' Equity members would remain on furlough. "We've decided to move forward with our phased reopening without their participation," she said.

That means some shows, such as the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular at Hollywood Studios, may not be running. (Employees who appear in full-body costumes as Disney characters will be working. They are part of the Teamsters union.)

Disney and other theme park operators have Florida's governor in their corner.

"I'm really impressed with what Universal's done, and I've looked at Disney's plan, and it is very, very thorough," Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said at a news conference on Monday. "You can have society function in a way that keeps people safe." At least one Florida official, state Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani, favours postponing Disney World's reopening, however.

"Disney is definitely trying to create a safe environment," she said. "But it does not make sense for any of these parks to be open right now."