Ideally, Yes. In an ideal world everyone would completely self-quarantine for 10 days, get a contactless-test right before taking a non-stop trip to camp. But that’s not practical for basically anyone, so 5 days is an accepted earliest cutoff. This is why good self-quarantine is essential for camp’s success this summer.

Good question! Here’s are three part answer:

1. The bubble fallacy. Though we will have a Camp bubble, we don’t have an impermeable protective barrier between us and the outside. We plan on reducing contact with the public as much as possible this year. But the bubble idea is not realistic and would create a false sense of security. On any given day, we get food deliveries, trash and recycling is picked up, state agencies visit us for required testing, cooks come and go, we need to pick up items campers need, etc. Our ‘bubble’ looks more like a wiffle ball … which is okay because we are using multiple intervention measures!
2. Cost and access. There are many added expenses associated with running a summer camp during a pandemic. (As an organization, we’ve actually decided to operate at a loss this year – meaning it will cost more to run this summer’s program than tuition will bring in). Camp would not be able to afford the added expense of testing all campers and staff without passing that expense onto families – and many families can’t shoulder the extra expense this year. Diligent use of NPIs has proven more effective than testing for preventing virus transmission. 
3. False Positives – Read up on it if you want more information. In short, we have the potential to do more harm than good by over-testing. If you go hunting for a virus, you will find a virus. A positive test result that does not present an actual threat is possible.

Camp is optional, and this is the format in which it is being offered.  If the precautions we will be taking don’t meet your needs or expectations, we encourage you to find a camp that is a better fit for your family. 

Holly has an impressive 40-year streak of not guaranteeing anyone anything, so while we’ll ask, don’t get your hopes up. (But seriously)

No you can’t. Sending your child to overnight camp during a pandemic includes the risk your child will contract coronavirus and develop COVID-19 here. These measures are meant to reduce the risk of getting exposed at camp, and they rely on the compliance and cooperation of parents, campers, and staff.  

The data is from the CDC and it’s specifically tracking adults, however current thinking is it’d be best to not increase the likelihood of infection for children with:

• Moderate/Severe Asthma
• Cancers
• Immuno-compromised or suppressed people (including people on maintenance corticosteroids)
• People with diabetes
• Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassemia 
• Some underlying heart conditions, including hypertension
• BMI > 40
• As well as several others

We also ask that families consider if their child were to get COVID-19 while at camp, would they be able to quarantine them at home while keeping people in their community safe, particularly if there are members of home units with high-risk conditions. 

Yes. Bedtime and sleeping don’t have lots of action, which means less and softer breathing. With everyone separated and our bunks being open-air, we feel it’s a lower transmission activity than other times in the tent such as tent clean-up, or getting ready for meals. 

-Remember these are all cumulative, community best practices and not do or die rules! It is not like breaking a sterile field in the Operating Room, where once it happens we have to throw out the instruments and get new ones. We are taking many measures known, individually, to reduce the transmission of coronavirus. We are doing this because by diligently combining several mitigation efforts we have the greatest chance for success. 

We have had an activity called ‘Cloud Watching’ for decades … we can make just about anything fun. 

Thank you for thinking of us and bringing this to our attention. We have access to a wealth of information, including some that is specific to summer camps. Our plan is based on best practices and current research-based recommendations. 

We’ve directed the majority of time and energy this last year to an ongoing review of recommendations, information, and trends. We also considered the best way to apply recommendations and best-practices to our specific program and layout. 

We cannot guarantee a COVID-free summer, but we can tell you we are confident this is the best plan, at this time, for this organization. We continue to consider new intel, data, and guidance as it evolves; and if we see an opportunity for our plan to better follow guidance and meet the needs of our community, we will incorporate it.