COVID summer camp: Is it safe?

In any normal year, parents would be busy signing their children up for all sorts of summer camp experiences. Like last year, this summer is going to be a little different from normal. But with vaccination rates on the rise, summer camp doesn’t have to be out of the question.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance for youth day camps and overnight summer camps. Many of the restrictions are familiar: Wear masks and social distance.

What is different from last year is that many more organizations are planning to return to the types of in-person activities that would be usual in any other year. That includes activities like swimming and team-building games.

Organizations have learned from last year’s COVID-safe summer camp experiences. The CDC advises camps to keep kids in cohorts, with small groups participating in activities together rather than intermingling.

For staff who are over age 16, the CDC recommends vaccination at least two weeks before camp begins. The fact that children can’t be vaccinated (so far) makes dealing with them a little trickier. The CDC suggests campers should be tested for the coronavirus prior to attending camp.

You can read more on MLive.