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Many people are shocked, surprised and relieved that overnight camps could run this past summer here in Ontario, Canada. With all these emotions, questions soon follow. I asked you all via Instagram if you had any questions and here are some of the more frequent questions that were asked.
Did you have to wear masks?
We did. The first two weeks we followed the Ontario guideline of 2 out of 3 and every cabin was a cohort. After 2 weeks passed, we broadened our cohorts which meant less masking. Yet we still wore masks whilst inside with other cohorts and around food like in our outdoor dining hall. As the weeks passed we lessened mask wearing to a point where we did not need any masks at all.
Did you have to sanitize all the time like at school?
Sanitization stations were set up around camp for staff and campers. The way we worked is if we sanitized it before the pandemic, we would double our efforts this year. Our housekeeping and kitchen staff were the heroes in this sense!
Could you chill with friends outside your cohort?
Of course yes! Summer camp is filled with many amazing outdoor places and spaces that you can chill with anyone.
Did you bring in new campers throughout the summer?
Camp usually has many intakes throughout the summer for all ages. However this year they made the decision that they would only two small intakes throughout the summer in the youngest unit. One after 2 weeks and one during the long weekend.
Did you have international staff members this year?
Simply yes. All of our international staff members flew into Canada and quarantined for 14 days before working at camp. Once in Canada, they followed all the same expectations as any other Canadian staff member. Some of these staff members were hired in January 2020 and have stuck by camp for over 18 months! That’s fantastic!
Did you have any positive cases?
Thankfully no! We are so proud of our health centre staff and their efforts throughout the summer. They were continuously testing everyone on site throughout the summer. As well as having a separate facility to go to at any time and get tested if you felt like you had any symptoms, like a runny nose or a cough. Our health centre staff also worked alongside local public health and put on vaccination clinics for campers and staff to receive either their first or/and their second doses.