On June 2nd Governor Cuomo announced that day camps may open on June 29th.
As the state begins to open its door to business, Governor Cuomo originally said that he still need more information about the sickness before making the decision on camps on what the summer camp season will look like in New York State.
Tough call, for sure. Camp directors all over the country, not only here in the Hudson Valley are struggling with this question, just as parents are wary about the prospect. In a New York Times story, Governor Cuomo said that he needed more information about the sickness before making the decision on camps.
Some camps have made their own decisions, whether it is not to hold their 2020 summer camp sessions, to delay the sessions or to modify what they are offering.
New York City has already canceled its Parks Department camps, and the Fresh Air Fund, a nonprofit that sends low-income children to sleep-away camps outside the city, will not do so this year.
A Long Island day camp plans has a plan in place: to close on rainy days to avoid crowded indoor spaces, stagger arrival times and conduct daily temperature checks for as many as 500 campers spread over 17 acres.
At this point Hudson Valley Parent has received notices from the following camps that they will not be offering a summer programs:
Army West Point Athletic Camps, Black Rock Forest Summer Science Camp, Cappella Festiva Summer Choral Festival, Mount Saint Mary College Sports Camps, The Reading Barn, Stringendo Summer Strings, Storm King School Summer on the Mountain, Beacon Arts Studios Project Funway and Project Puppets, Catskill Wheelhouse Summer Camps.
All camps that are considering opening have to submit a plan to their local health department by the first week of June, which may be even before the Governor has made any decisions.
The CDC has created a guide for camps and parents to consider should camps be allowed to reopen. Topics include:
- how to mix campers together,
- how to share equipment,
- how to encourage proper hygiene and “respiratory etiquette”
- proper signage through the camp
- maintaining healthy environments
- food service
- transporting any sick camper or staff member to a healthcare in an emergency
For more information, log on to
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/summer-camps.html
Other articles by HVP News Reporters