More overnight camps slated to reopen
There PORTLAND, MAINE — are going to be more happy campers this summer as more camps choose to reopen despite the pandemic, providing millions more kids an opportunity to gather around a campfire.
Most camp directors sat out last summer as the virus raged across the country, either because of st a te restrictions that barred them from opening or because of concerns about keeping kids healthy. But with cases declining and more people vaccinated each day, many are feeling more confident about reopening this season.
Parents are scrambling to get kids signed up in many states like Maine, where at least 100 overnight camps will be open. But some states have yet to release operating guidelines.
In New York, Andrew and Alyssa Klein held their son and daughter out of camp last year. But this summer they’re letting them go to a camp in Maine.
“We have to figure out a way to live our lives safely,” said Andrew Klein. “We can’t live in a cocoon. We did that for a year. I’m ready to emerge and I’m ready for my family to emerge, as safely as we can.”
Several states like New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey that banned over- night camps last summer have changed their tune. At least 45 states are allowing overnight camps to open, compared to 39 states last summer, according to the American Camp Association.
“Camps are really gearing up to operate as fully as possible. They know that campers and staff need this experience,” said Tom Rosen- berg, from the ACA.
Most of t he overni g ht camps that did remain open last summer mostly operated successfully, creating their own “bubbles” and emphasizing safety by grouping kids in cohorts, mandating masks and social distanc
ing indoors, and imposing lots of hand washing. Many required kids to quarantine or to be tested before arrival.
But there were a few nota
ble outbreaks. More than 250 people were infected at a camp in Georgia, and more than 80 were infected at a camp in Missouri.