Summer camps allowed to reopen

Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday announced that summer camps could reopen effective June 15. That includes day camps, overnight camps, and travel camps.

The governor also announced that certain school-based sporting activities could start back up, though the state hasn’t produced a list of activities that would be allowed under the order.

All activities and camps will have to adhere to guidelines for maintaining participants’ safety.

But just because summer camps are allowed to reopen doesn’t mean they will.

Sherman Lake YMCA has already decided to cancel its summer camp season for 2020 and doesn’t plan to reconsider following the governor’s announcement.

“Due to the amount of preparation that goes into getting facilities ready and staff fully trained, we simply cannot re-open mid-summer,” reads a statement on Sherman Lake YMCA’s website. “Additionally, it would be unfair to our summer staff to think that they would put everything on hold to see if anything changed.”

The Kalamazoo Nature Center and Pretty Lake Camp have also both cancelled summer plans.

Instead of cancelling some organizations are moving to online activities.

The Kalamazoo Air Zoo has virtual day camps beginning this week. A statement on the museum’s website indicated that some on-site camps could resume after it reopens to the public in July.

Still other organizations are already geared up and ready to start in-person summer camps. Kingdom Sports in Portage is accepting signups for its soccer day camps beginning this week.