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- CDC guidance released Saturday recommends children attending summer camps maintain a social distance of 3 feet while staying masked.
- The new guidelines are partially based on previous social distancing recommendations given to K-12 schools.
- The CDC recommends, however, that campers stick to the traditional 6 feet of separation while eating and advises the same distance for campers interacting with members of other cohorts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidance Saturday that recommends children attending summer camps maintain a social distance of 3 feet while staying masked.
The new guidelines are partially based on previous social distancing recommendations given to K-12 schools, specifically recommendations regarding disinfecting common areas and health screenings for staffers.
The CDC recommends, however, that campers stick to the traditional 6 feet of separation while eating and advises the same distance for campers interacting with members of other cohorts.
“While fewer children have gotten sick with COVID-19 compared with adults during the pandemic, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, get sick with COVID-19, spread the virus to others, and have severe outcomes,” the guidance read.
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The CDC additionally advises cursory health screening when feasible, including symptom checking and “establish partnerships with community providers who offer testing, or refer staff and campers for screening testing.”
Although COVID-19 vaccines remain largely unavailable for children under the age of 16, the CDC urges children older than 16 and camp staffers to get their inoculations when it is their turn.
Further, the CDC urges group activities to remain outdoors when possible and when indoors, proper ventilation methods should be used.
“Open windows and doors when possible, use fans to increase the effectiveness of open windows, and decrease occupancy in areas where outdoor ventilation cannot be increased,” the guidance read.
Allison Bartlett, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at University of Chicago Medicine, told the Washington Post in March that she is sending her kids to a sleep-away camp, saying “it is a reasonable risk for our family to take.”
“There are actual benefits to going to camp and having experiences away from your parents,” Bartlett said. “Especially when you’re locked up with your parents for the past year.”
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