Children’s overnight camp forced to shut down after 260 test positive for coronavirus
An overnight camp for children was forced to shut down after 260 campers and staff tested positive for coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control said.
The camp – identified as YMCA Camp High Harbor in Georgia – opened up on June 21 only to be shut down six days later after dozens of children got sick.
At least 120 Staff members and 130 trainees arrived at the camp in mid-June for orientation. They were later joined by 360 campers ranging in age from 6 to 19.
On June 23, a teenage worker developed the chills and tested positive for coronavirus. The camp began sending people home the following day and alerted the Georgia Department of public health.
Of the 344 campers and staff tested for coronavirus, 260 tested positive for the virus including 51 children aged six to ten. Over 230 of the positive tests were for people aged 17 and younger, according to the CDC, and 74% of those who tested positive experienced symptoms.
The camp reportedly required counselors to wear masks, but not campers, who slept and lived in large close-quarter groups.
‘Settings, like multi-day, overnight summer camps, pose a unique challenge when it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases, considering the amount of time campers and staff members spend in close proximity,’ the CDC said in a statement.
The YMCA of Metro Atlanta said they made every effort to keep the camp safe, but they are now regretting their decision to reopen.
‘Attending Camp High Harbour is a tradition numerous generations of Y families look forward to every summer,’ the YMCA wrote in a statement.
‘Many of these individuals reached out the the Y to express their desire for us to open our resident camps in an effort to create normalcy in their children’s lives due to detrimental impact of Covid-19.’
‘This weighed heavily in our decision to open, a decision in retrospect we now regret.’
‘It is never a pleasant situation when someone tests positive for Covid-19 but we are thankful for the support and understanding of campers, parents and staff during this situation.’
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