Staff COVID Readiness – Summer 2022

All staff members must be up-to-date on their vaccinations, which means a primary series and booster. If you have not yet gotten your booster, please schedule it as soon as possible. If you are unable to access a booster in your home country, please let us know and we will schedule you for it upon arrival at camp. If you haven’t yet uploaded proof of vaccination in the forms section, please do so. If you receive a booster after uploading your form, you can always resubmit at a later date.

All campers must be fully vaccinated and we are strongly encouraging boosters as well.

Staff members are asked to take extra precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19 in the week leading up to arrival at camp – including following these recommendations:

• Wear a well-fitting mask while indoors in any public places (including at school, stores, etc.)
• Avoid eating indoors in restaurants
• Avoid large indoor gatherings or wear a mask at these events.
• Practice social distancing in public areas, indoors and out

If you test positive within 10 days prior to arrival at camp, you must notify us immediately and we will discuss the best course of action. Please also let us know if you develop any respiratory/cold symptoms or have a close contact who tests positive in the week before camp so we can adjust testing as necessary.

Staff members must wear a mask throughout all parts of their travel journey to camp in public areas/vehicles, including in ride shares, airport, airplane, bus, etc.

Staff riding camp buses to camp will be asked to mask on the bus.

International staff flying to the US will need a negative test result to board their flight to the US.

Domestic staff (and any International staff who are traveling in the US prior to camp for more than 2 days) must receive a negative test result within 72 hours of arrival at camp (we will accept either a PCR test within 72 hours or two negative rapid antigen tests taken 24 hours apart).

Upon arrival at camp, all staff will take a rapid antigen test.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within 90 days prior to camp, you do not need a PCR test prior to arrival (though we will still require a rapid antigen test on arrival day). Please let us know if you have recently tested positive.

We plan to utilize a combination of PCR and rapid antigen testing during the summer. Staff will need to register in advance with our testing company and provide your health insurance (if you have it). Regardless of whether or not you have insurance, there will be NO out-of-pocket costs for in-camp testing.

Staff can expect to be tested twice each week throughout the summer.

If a staff member or camper has COVID-like symptoms during camp, they will be tested with a rapid antigen test and will receive a follow-up PCR if necessary.

If a staff member tests positive for COVID-19 during camp, they will be isolated alone or with other COVID-positive campers and/or staff.

All decisions regarding a positive test will be made on a case by case basis by the medical committee and camp staff.

Staff Training
As we have staff arriving from many different countries, many modes of travel, and many arrival dates, masking at the start of the summer will be a key component in our strategy to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 at camp.

During training, staff will be living with others who arrived on or around the same date.

Staff will be expected to mask when indoors together (other than with those they are living with) for the majority of the time during Staff Training. Once negative test results are received for each staff group, we hope to be able to lift the mask rules until the start of camp.

Shared staff spaces (staff lounge/staff gym) will require masks at all times throughout the entirety of Staff Training and the first week of camp, due to the varying arrival dates of staff cohorts.

During Camp
Campers and staff will be asked to mask when indoors together in mixed groups (other than when seated at their table in the Dining Hall or interacting with only their bunkmakes) for the first few days of the session and until after we receive the results of our in-camp PCR tests. If there are any positive cases in camp, we may extend this time frame as necessary.

We ask that you bring plenty of well-fitting masks. KN95 or surgical masks are preferred, but cloth masks may be worn if they are well-fitting and worn correctly at all times. Surgical masks will also be provided for staff as needed.

If COVID-19 circumstances remain similar as now, we intend for staff to be permitted to leave camp during their days off.

When staff leave camp during their time off, they are asked to take all reasonable precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19 – including following these recommendations:

• Wear a well-fitting mask when indoors in public places, including stores, movie theaters, salons, etc.
• Eat outdoors at restaurants whenever possible (if you must sit indoors, please try to sit in a low-density area, near windows, etc.)
• Avoid attending large group gatherings (concerts, etc.)
• Avoid indoor bars or other high-density gatherings where masks cannot be reasonably worn.

Staff members will be asked to share their day-off plans in advance of departing camp.

Staff who have special circumstances (family events, college orientations, etc.) should discuss their individual plans with the camp team.

Staff are asked to be vigilant in self-reporting potential COVID-19 symptoms, particularly if they have recently been off-camp.

Our medical committee and Board have determined that it is in the best interest of camp and our campers not to have an in-person Visiting Day this year. Full Summer campers will have the opportunity to have a virtual visit with their family when second session begins.