It’s June and we are just two months away from gathering again at Camp Taum Sauk! The MCBC Medical Team met recently to update our COVID protocols for MCBC 2022. I am going to summarize them here and if you’d like to read them in full, you can find them here. A short disclaimer: protocols may change prior to the first day of camp and if they do, we will let you know ASAP.
Prior to Camp:
COVID Tests
All program participants, regardless of vaccination status, will need to show proof of a negative PCR or rapid COVID test that is administered prior to arrival on the campsite. Families must bring a copy of the COVID test results to their designated departure location for the Camp Nurse to keep in the camper’s file.
- Please note, while any type of COVID test will be accepted, we encourage program participants to obtain a PCR test when possible.
- Please make every effort to isolate between being tested and arriving at the campsite, to reduce your exposure to COVID-19 before arriving at camp.
Campers and volunteers will test according to the following timeline:
- Volunteers: Test no earlier than Wednesday, July 27th
- Campers: Test no earlier than Thursday, July 28th
Come to Camp Healthy!
A healthy staff member, volunteer, and camper starts at home. Tips on how to make sure your program participant arrives at the program site in the healthiest state possible can be found here
Modify behavior before coming to camp:
MCBC recommends that campers and members of their household follow the CDC recommendations for mitigation practices according to the community level of the camper’s specific county of residence. Community levels can be found here.
Travel to Camp:
We will perform a COVID screening of all campers that includes a temperature check and checking for presence of COVID-related symptoms prior to the camper exiting the vehicle. An individual who has a temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, shows COVID-19 symptoms, or has been exposed to COVID-19 in the previous 14 days will not be permitted on the Program site.
We ask that caregivers say goodbye to their campers from inside their vehicle to reduce the number of people gathering at the departure sites.
At Camp:
Age-based cohorts
To limit the risk of exposure between program participants and to make contract tracing easier in the case that there is a COVID-19 exposure, we are treating your campers’ age group as their camp cohort for the duration of their camp program: Program participants will know that someone is in their cohort if their name tag is a certain color. The cohorts are broken down as follows:
- Stallions – red name tags
- Camp Taum Sauk staff – orange name tags
- Ponies – yellow name tags
- CITs – green name tags
- Mustangs – blue name tags
- Senior Staff – purple name tags
Masks
According to the CDC, wearing a mask is one of the most important ways to protect yourself and slow the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, it is a requirement of all of our program participants at MCBC 2022 that they wear a face mask that covers both the nose and mouth when they are in any indoor space with campers or staff outside of their cohort.
Health care providers will wear masks whenever interacting with anyone because they interact back and forth with different cohorts.
What if someone experiences COVID-19 symptoms during camp?
If a camper or staff member (the patient) presents with symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 diagnosis and they are stable, they will be given a Rapid Antigen Test. The patient will be prepared to be sent home as soon as possible. The patient will be placed in a designated COVID-19 isolated area and cared for by the medical director and medical staff. The patient will remain masked as long as symptoms allow, and providers will follow strict CDC guidelines for caring for a patient with COVID-19.
If the antigen test produces a negative result, the patient will be monitored for a period of 24 hours and will continue to follow all physical distancing and mask-wearing requirements and will increase mask-wearing frequency (to be worn at all times except when sleeping). The patient will be tested again after 24 hours and if the test produces another negative result, the patient can return to normal camp activities. If the test yields a positive result, the healthcare team will follow the protocol identified above.
Campers and staff in a COVID-suspect camper’s cohort will increase-mask wearing frequency, eat in their cabins, and be monitored closely for a period of 24 hours. If after 24 hours, no other campers begin to demonstrate COVID-suspect symptoms, the cohort can return to eating meals in the presence of other cabins and return to normal mask-wearing expectations. If after 24 hours, a camper or staff member begins to develop symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 diagnosis, we will start following the steps outlined in “Patient care and management for campers and staff with COVID-suspect symptoms”.
Disclaimer
The information presented here is not intended to be an exhaustive list of the precautions that are implemented at camp, and only serves as a summary/guide.
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As always, the MCBC and Burns Recovered staff are here to answer any questions you may have or provide clarification on any camp-related topic. Please contact us at mcbc@brsg.org or at (314) 939-1550 with questions.
Yours in Service,
MCBC Leadership
Frequently Asked Questions
No, vaccines are not required. However, MCBC maintains that the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and we encourage all eligible participants (those ages 5 and above) to get vaccinated and reach full immunity 2 weeks prior to arriving at the campsite. If you are having trouble obtaining a vaccine, please call the Burns Recovered office at (314) 939-1550 and we will help you out.
Any COVID test is acceptable, including at-home and rapid tests. We encourage our families to obtain PCR tests when possible, but this is not required. If you are having trouble obtaining a COVID test, please call the Burns Recovered office at (314) 939-1550 and we will help you locate one.
Campers should receive a COVID test no earlier than July 28th, 2022, and no later than July 30th, 2022. The date will depend on the type of test that you get. PCR test results can take up to 72 hours while rapid antigen tests results are typically back within 15 minutes.
You may either text Maddog, the Director of Youth Programs, a screenshot of the result to (314) 399-8516, email mcbc@brsg.org, or bring a hard copy with you to your departure site.
MCBC recommends that campers and anyone in the camper’s household follow the recommendations of the CDC according to the specific level of risk in their county of residence. MCBC also encourages all campers to arrive at camp healthy. Tips on how to keep campers healthy prior to coming to camp can be found here.
You can visit the CDC’s “COVID-19 by County” website, select your state and your county and determine what prevention steps you should take based on your COVID-19 community level.
The testing consent form is to give permission to our camp medical team to administer a rapid antigen test to your camper if your camper begins to display symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 diagnosis while at camp. Campers without permission to test will be sent home if they begin to display symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
Yes, your camper will be required to wear a mask when they are on the charter bus traveling from the drop off location to camp or when they are indoors with a program participant who is not in their cohort.
A “cohort” is a small group of program participants, both campers and counselors, who are not required to wear masks around each other when indoors. This year, your camper’s “cohort” is any camper or cabin counselor who is part of their age group. E.g., all Pony campers and Pony counselors are in one cohort, and all Mustang campers and counselors are in another. Every member of a cohort will have a different color name tag differentiating them from a member of another cohort.
Any cloth mask that fits your face snugly that you can wear for long periods of time. A mask fits “snugly” when it covers the nose and there are no gaps at the cheeks. Neck gaiters are not acceptable masks. If your camper does not bring an appropriate mask to camp, MCBC will provide one for them.
A caregiver or an emergency contact must pick up the camper within 12 hours of receiving a phone call of a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 in their camper.
If you cannot come get your COVID-positive camper within 12 hours of their positive test result, MCBC will arrange medical transportation for your camper. MCBC cannot guarantee that this transportation will be free of charge. Therefore, it is important to plan accordingly.
