RememberSchiff 2570 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) IMHO, here is a Council that understands their local summer camp planning has a higher priority and purpose than the National-driven endless restructuring. “We have a very good group of volunteers and staff that, this is really their one, main priority right now, is to make sure that we can hold camp and we can hold it in a safe manner for everyone,” Hawkeye Area Council (Iowa) CEO Sarah Dawson said. ... “We are designing plans A, B, C, D, through about Z right now to make sure that we have — we’re looking at all options, and no matter what happens and what stage we’re at, that we’ll still be able to hold things safely,” Dawson said. https://www.kcrg.com/2021/01/25/hawkeye-area-council-to-resume-scout-camps-this-summer-adding-sessions-for-non-scouts/ Edited January 26 by RememberSchiff Link to post Share on other sites
CynicalScouter 525 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 6 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said: We are designing plans A, B, C, D, through about Z Plan Z of course being Zombie Apocalypse which has moved from "laughable" to "well, maybe".... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
qwazse 3560 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) Our council spent the year making some long needed repairs and improvements to camp facilities. They are planning to be open for the summer. Edited January 26 by qwazse 1 Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 2570 Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 Massachusetts Phase 4 begins in March which allow overnight summer camps to open though state camping guidelines have not yet been released.. Overnight camps were closed last summer. Greg Williams, program director for the Boy Scouts of America Western Massachusetts said, “To be out in the outdoors to be with their peers just doing age-appropriate activities and exploring new things in the outdoors is so important for their mental health and physical health.” The Boy Scouts of America western Massachusetts Council is already making plans for their first week of camp in early July. 👍 New this year, anyone is welcome to attend, not just scout units. According to the senator’s office, there are 1,000 summer camps in Massachusetts and those camps are responsible for an annual economic contribution of $1.3 billion and over $220 million in directly paid wages. “The decision by the Baker administration to allow overnight and day camps to operate this summer is a huge win for the 250,000 children served by summer camps across the Commonwealth,” said Matt Scholl, board president of the Massachusetts Camping Association. “The data is clear that camps can effectively uphold the health and well-being of our children and staff when following evidence-based protocols. Children have never needed summer camp more – prioritizing camp is a choice to prioritize healthy and thriving children.” https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/summer-camp-decision-hailed-as-critical/ Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 2570 Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 Rapid Testing for Summer Camps - Texas March 30, 2021: Gov. Abbott announced he’s teaming up the Texas Division of Emergency Management to create a COVID-19 rapid testing program for Texas youth summer camps. First in line was Circle Ten Council Scout Executive Sam Thompson. "We have already made an application to the state to acquire some of those rapid tests," he said. The Department of State Health Services also announced revised health recommendations this month for upcoming summer camps. For Thompson, to keep his doors open, his camps will remain socially distant and at 50% capacity. But he says he’s ready for his shipment of antigen tests to arrive. "One more layer of protection to keep calm and scout on," Thompson said. More at source: https://www.fox4news.com/news/state-to-offer-rapid-covid-19-testing-programs-for-youth-summer-camps Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle1993 785 Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 I love the idea of rapid testing at summer camps. The temperature checks are a joke as many people (especially kids) do not have fevers with Covid-19. All summer camps should be open this summer, end of story. Its not just a matter of what mitigations you have to take, depending on Covid rates in the community. We have a year+ of experience and should know how to handle it. Great to see the news coming in! Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 2570 Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 State Operating Guidance for Summer 2021 (Overnight and Day Camps) https://www.acacamps.org/resource-library/public-policy/state-operating-guidance-summer-2021?utm_campaign=SocialMetrics&utm_content=1615989575&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 2570 Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 (edited) Since Feb, the majority of new Covid-19 cases in TX, MN, FL, MA, MI, GA is the more contagious B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant . What is concerning for summer camp is that 12-19 year olds appear more susceptible to this covid variant. State restrictions are being reinstated for school activities - spring sports, proms,... will summer camps be next? https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2021/04/02/public-health-experts-are-concerned-about-new-covid-variants-in-massachusetts https://www.masslive.com/coronavirus/2021/04/nearly-half-of-new-covid-cases-in-massachusetts-tied-to-uk-variant.html Edited April 8 by RememberSchiff Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle1993 785 Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 38 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said: What is concerning for summer camp is that 12-19 year olds appear more susceptible to this covid variant. State restrictions are being reinstated for school activities - spring sports, proms,... will summer camps be next? If the goal is 0 Covid, we will never do anything. I don't think that should be the goal. The goal should be to ensure our healthcare system is not overrun and that we don't see massive death. If we follow "science" we know that the vaccines are highly effective and are effective vs the variants. A surge and massive death is not going to happen regardless of what we do this summer (based on everything known today). Ramp up vaccines and work on expanding testing to find hot spots ... otherwise we should be reopening. By this summer, I expect every adult who is at any sort of risk has had a chance at the vaccine. Kids are far less at risk for serious complications with Covid. It's time to get them back to their activities. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle94-A1 1815 Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 40 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said: If the goal is 0 Covid, we will never do anything. COVID is here to stay. Read the research and listen to epidemiologists, and they all say the same thing: vaccines will be effective for 6 - 9 months, and then a booster will be needed to cover the variants. back in June/July there were over 30 variants. When I checked in March there were over 660 variants. This is one nasty bug. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
qwazse 3560 Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 1 hour ago, Eagle94-A1 said: ... 30 variants. When I checked in March there were over 660 variants. This is one nasty bug. Quote Kay: "There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they DO NOT KNOW ABOUT IT!" There’s always a variant ... most years we just aren’t bothered. My pandemic guy gets on a call with his buddies, and they pull a mix from their war chest that they think will match whatever’s spreading around. We tease him badly if he’s wrong. He tries harder the next year. It’s the highest-stakes gamble on the planet. Pediatric trials are starting. Meanwhile get your scouts out camping. We’ll know by autumn if a vaccine for the youngn’s does more good than harm. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
RichardB 179 Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Strategies 1214057527_COVIDmitigation-layers.pdf Link to post Share on other sites
yknot 637 Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 The key thing with this virus appears to be distance, masking, and ventilation. Resident camps that had kids sleeping in cabins had issues last summer. Scout camps where everyone stayed in their own tent seemed to do surprisingly well. I think there is another layer of it in that the virus does not transmit well in sunny, dry, warm condition in the open air. It does transmit when the opposite is true, which can happen at camp. The rapid testing is not very helpful -- there are a lot of false negatives -- but it is better than a temperature check. You also need to be aware of wind conditions. I caught Covid despite being fully vaccinated and outside because I was 20 feet downwind of some maskless infectious people for about an hour. So, despite the fact that I was outside, despite the fact that I was vaccinated, I still got sick. Thankfully, it was mild and lasted less than 24 hours. But the bottom line is that this disease is very contagious. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now