If all the camps closed last summer, this summer is the time to find out how to keep them open. While we are completing a school year mostly focused on schools trying to figure out how to get kids back into class as safely as possible, parents are looking forward to a summer that hopefully feels a little more normal than last summer – and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on time with its updated summer camp guidelines.
Things open up again and the general restrictions loosen up as more adults are vaccinated. However, children under the age of 16 are still not entitled to their own shot, and new variants of the virus are emerging and circulating. Therefore, many precautionary measures must be taken in day and overnight camps this summer.
General guidelines
The CDC guidelines recommend grouping campers and employees into “cohorts” that stay together throughout the day. Once sorted, here they are Physical distancing recommendations::
- At least 3 feet between all campers within a cohort
- At least 6 feet between all campers outside of their cohort
- At least 6 feet when eating and drinking, even among people within the same cohort
- At least 6 feet between campers and staff
- At least 6 feet between employees
Masks should be worn by everyone except when they are eating, drinking, napping (when children should be as far apart as possible, from head to toe), or swimming (a wet mask can make breathing difficult and may not work anyway) .
Outdoor activities are highly recommended whenever possible. Whenever this is not possible, the CDC emphasizes the importance of ventilating indoor areas by opening doors and windows, using fans, and reducing occupancy (this applies to both facilities and any camp transport vehicles used). Sports and other sporting activities should be carried out outdoors whenever possible. The CDC advises against indoor and close-contact sports, and says players should wear masks when they are six feet apart.
Other typical camp activities that may produce droplets of breath should be done outdoors, with masks on, and at a distance of two meters. This includes singing, singing and screaming.
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The guidelines also emphasize the limitation of common objects. The items of each motorhome should be kept separate and in individual, labeled containers or cubes. Staff and campers should be encouraged to bring their own water from home to limit the use of water fountains. Campers should also have more than one mask so that a dirty mask can easily be replaced with a clean mask.
Overnight camp
In addition to all of this, the CDC has additional recommendations for overnight camps. They suggest that camps encourage eligible staff, volunteers, campers, and family members to get fully vaccinated (ideally at least two weeks before traveling to camp). They recommend unvaccinated campers and staff to quarantine themselves for two weeks before arriving. Campers and staff who are not fully vaccinated should have a negative virus test done no more than three days prior to arrival.
Once they arrive, campers should be screened for symptoms and assigned to cohorts that stay together and distance themselves from other cohorts. Campers and staff sleeping in the same room should be viewed as a “household cohort” and do not need to mask or socially disassociate themselves from one another unless someone from outside the cohort is present. When different cohorts come together outdoors or indoors, everyone should practice the usual recommendations on masking, physical distancing, and healthy hygiene.
