Safety and Security

Security and Covid-19

Updated: July 1, 2022

Dear Camp families,

As we prepare to continue camp for sessions 2, 3 & 4, we have made changes to our Covid protocols. We have yet to make the modifications to the Covid Playbook, but the changes are listed below. They will be inserted in the playbook or replace outdated protocols, but for the time being, wherever there is a conflict between the playbook and the new protocols below, the ones below supersede the playbook.

These changes have been prepared in consultation with our medical committee and experts in the field. We also met with 22 other camps in a Zoom call to discuss best practices learned from camp so far this summer. We realize that some of the changes are inconvenient, particularly having to bring your children to camp without bus transportation. Increasing our medical staff along with the changes will give us a better footing to deal with covid at camp.

However, the most important changes must be done by you. It came to our attention that campers had:

• gone to amusement parks,
• attended functions with large groups of people,
• had family members with Covid or recent exposure to Covid
• Traveled abroad or domestically

and did not properly isolate before camp.

This was, by far, the weakest link in our keeping safe. It was apparent that despite our rigorous testing, children came to camp already infected with Covid. You MUST do your part to protect your children and, by extension, all the other children at camp.

If your child was exposed to anyone with Covid, they must isolate and test (rapid) for 5 days before coming to camp.  If this means coming up after the start of their session, then so be it. If you return from a trip, or have been to anywhere with crowds, you need to test and wait for 5 days to pass before coming to camp.  This was in the Covid Playbook since the very beginning and should not be a surprise to anyone.

Here are the changes:

• What happens if I have Covid symptoms?
  • Any person with a positive rapid test will be sent home immediately (parents/guardian will need to come to camp).
  • Campers presenting with fever or significant symptoms, including sore throat (if strep negative) will go home if the camper is in a cabin where there was a positive case.
  • Campers who fall into these two categories will be isolated until they are picked up (see below).
• Isolation
  • There will be an isolation location for each of the 3 levels below for children with symptoms (gender separated).
    • Campers who have tested positive and are awaiting pickup will be isolated in location 1
    • Campers who show symptoms, but test negative and are from cabins where another camper had a positive result, will be in location 2 awaiting pickup to go home.
    • Campers who show symptoms, but test negative and are from cabins with no positive cases, will be in location 3 for sleeping only.  They will participate in cabin activities (masked) and will be tested daily for 5 days or until symptoms resolve, if later.
• Testing
  • We require PCR test at least 48, but more than 72 hours prior to arrival at CMC
  • Upon arrival at CMC:
    • An antigen (rapid) test will be performed by our outside lab.
    • Positive results will be asked to return home
      • We will perform a 2^nd confirming test upon request. If the result is negative, we will perform a 3^rd and final test.
    • We recommend an antigen (rapid) test before you leave for camp to avoid getting a positive result upon arrival and having to return home with your camper.
  • On Day 3, we will perform a camp-wide Antigen (rapid) test (campers and staff).
  • Additional antigen testing will be performed on any camper or staff presenting with symptoms.
  • Campers and staff in a cabin with a positive case will be antigen tested on the day the positive is found and then every other day for 5 days (Days 1, 3 & 5).
    • Remaining campers in a cabin that had a positive case will be eating outside for that 5-day period.
    • They will still participate in camp activities, though masked when outside their cabin.
• Masking
  • Everyone will mask indoors (except in their own cabins) and outdoors when in large mixed groups.
  • Swimming will be by cabin, so masking is not required in the pool area.
  • We provide KN95 adult and children sized masks. You are welcome to provide your own masks, but they need to be KN95 or better. Cloth and surgical masks are less effective.
• Dining
  • We will be spreading out our seating of cabins over three areas:
    • The large outdoor tent (Ohel)
    • The dining room (which has an exhaust fan system that changes air 6x per hour)
    • The covered picnic tables adjacent to the dining room
  • Meals are now being served family style (vs buffet) to keep campers seated and reduce movement through all 3 areas.
• Bus transportation
  • There will be no bus transportation to camp
  • We will provide buses back to San Diego, Fullerton, Glendale and Redlands
  • There will be no other buses used during the camp sessions
• Atid (out-of-camp) trip
  • We are still evaluating how to proceed with Atid trips for the remainder of the sessions. We do know that in 2021, when we did not have and Atid trip out of camp, we were able to create experiences that campers treasured.

Thank you for your patience in getting this out to everyone. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but based on all the facts, this is the most responsible and ethical course of action. Thank you for the trust you place in us to provide a safe, transformative experience for your campers.
 
Buddy Voit                         Rachel Shyloski
Executive Director            Camp Director

Updated: June 1, 2022

We are pleased to share the 2nd edition of our Summer 2022 CMC COVID-19 Playbook. These protocols will simultaneously allow us to ensure the health and safety of our community while providing a genuine Camp Mountain Chai experience. 

The information surrounding COVID-19 is constantly changing and evolving, but we feel confident that this COVID-19 Playbook will stay relevant through summer 2022.  This final version contains our updates and solidifies policies around:

• Masking at Camp
• Testing strategies
• Community Structure

Thank you as always for trusting us to keep your camper healthy and safe.

Updated: April 15, 2022

We are pleased to share the first edition of our Summer 2022 CMC COVID-19 Playbook. These protocols will simultaneously allow us to ensure the health and safety of our community while providing a genuine Camp Mountain Chai experience. 

The information surrounding COVID-19 is constantly changing and evolving, and this COVID-19 Playbook is a living document that will evolve and change between now and summer 2022.  We plan to release a final edition of the playbook by the time camp starts, however, the majority of these policies will not change. This edition solidifies our plans around:

• Health Center Operations
• Transportation
• Mask/Vaccine Policy
• Infected Camper Protocols

Thank you as always for trusting us to keep your camper healthy and safe.

Updated: October 2020

Dear Camp Families,

The health, safety and security of all our campers and staff is the utmost important to us, and we are updating our procedures and protocols annually to keep abreast of current trends and concerns. For the first time, these changes and improvements will create a need for a supplemental fee.

In the spring of 2020, we began a project to enhance the overall physical security of our camp facility. This is not in response to any specific event, but rather recommended upgrades made in consultation with experts in the field. In addition to strengthening our relationship with local law enforcement and other first-responders, we have made many significant changes including these that your camper will see upon arrival at camp for the 2021 summer:

• Enhanced access control measures including security personnel, the addition of an entry gate, increased surveillance and updated technology throughout camp
• Upgraded our camp-wide public address system
• Equipment in camper cabins to allow for a secure space, if needed
• Increased security-related training for summer and year-round

Additionally, with coronavirus on everyone’s mind, we are preparing responsibly for the summer of 2021. While none of us know exactly what the next few months will look like, we continue to regularly consult with medical professionals, infectious disease and industry experts, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Camp Association (ACA).

Our protocols regarding COVID-19 involve:

• Updating health center and screening procedures
• Securing additional PPE, medications, and medical equipment
• Modified food service and enhanced cleaning procedures
• Reserving space at camp to allow for additional isolation facilities, if needed
• Closely monitoring advancements with testing and the availability of a vaccine (while we will likely have a policy that requires testing, a vaccine, or both, we will follow the science as it evolves over the next few months)

These changes and improvements, while partially funded through a California security grant, have created substantial costs and on-going expenses for us. We are instituting an annual supplemental fee of $135 per camper per year (regardless of the number of sessions a camper attends) to cover these additional costs. Even with the addition of this fee, the cost of our standard two-week sessions remains below 2019 levels when registering before year-end.

We are looking forward to getting back up the tall green mountain with your campers; please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

David Bark, Board President
Buddy Voit, Executive Director