ORLANDO, Fla. — Universal Orlando is first major theme park in Florida to begin reopening amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as it opens its doors Wednesday to invited guests and passholders.

​​The milestone was marked with an appearance by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who sharded updates about Florida's reopening plans at CityWalk.

Universal's CEO has said the resort wants to invite guests back to the parks in a cautious and thoughtful way.

"We have worked hard to make sure our guests can enjoy their time with family and friends. Doing this the right way will take all of us -- and we need everyone’s help. Guests should follow our guidelines and continue to follow the recommendations of the CDC and health officials," Universal Parks & Resorts CEO Tom Williams said. 

When guests visit the parks, they will be met with new safey health and safety measures. Face masks and temperatures will be mandatory. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, won't be allowed in. And to manage crowds, capacity will be limited at the parks. 

At restaurants, Universal is also ramping up mobile ordering, offering single-use menus, and making contactless payment available.

Passholders were among the first group of guests to visit the theme parks this week. The previews, which required advanced sign-up, continue on Thursday. Guests staying at the resort hotels, some of which started to reopen Tuesday, are also getting a sneak peek at the new park procedures.

The previews come ahead of the public reopening of Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay on Friday.

Universal's parks has been closed since mid-March because of the pandemic. Other area parks have reopened or are getting ready to reopen. Legoland reopened to the public earlier in the week. SeaWorld Orlando will follow with a June 11 reopening.

Meanwhile, Disney World plans to reopen its parks in July. Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will reopen on July 11, followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15.