GENERAL COVID-19 RELATED PROTOCOLS
(As of 5/20/2022)
We trust all our families to keep all of our campers and staff safe and to keep your child home if they aren’t feeling well or if they are showing any signs of illness. At this time, our plan is to be mask OPTIONAL when indoors (with campers’ immediate group), and we encourage everyone to make a decision that is best for their family.
Campers exposed to Covid who are not vaccinated with two shots WILL be required to wear a well-fitted mask indoors for up to 10 days unless they have tested positive within 90 days. Fully vaccinated campers (two shots) who are exposed to Covid will NOT be required to wear masks, but it is still recommended. We will inform you if someone in your child’s group is positive so you can keep an extra eye out for any symptoms regarding your own child. There will be no refunds for campers with Covid just like with any other illness. Please take that into consideration when you are deciding whether or not your child should wear a mask indoors.
Most activities at Cactus Day Camp are outdoors under shading sails and event tents including snack, lunch, and popsicle time, or they involve waterplay (swimming, 9 Square in the Pool, waterslide, foam pit and water blaster maze). We have eight indoor activity rooms and three others set up for changing. Campers are typically inside for one or two activities a day.
As we all know, there are many opinions as to how to approach Covid. In fact, the guidance from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) suggests that unvaccinated children exposed to Covid should stay home if exposed to COVID-19 and if not up to date with their vaccines. If your child isn’t up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, keep them home from camp for 5 days, get them tested, and take precautions (such as wearing a mask around others) until day 10, per CDC guidance, and notify camp staff.
At the moment, Arizona has dropped all mandates as have most of the area’s schools. It is our job at Cactus Day Camp to keep everyone safe and healthy. As with any other illness or high risk activities, we will always err on the side of caution and create a risk management plan to prevent a situation from occurring rather than intervening afterwards. For that reason, I have identified the highest risk of spreading Covid would be at Campers’ Choice. Campers’ Choice is a one-hour activity period towards the end of each day where campers can choose an activity to go to. This is solely based on their interests and is a time in which they are mixed with several other campers from up to seven or eight different camp groups. These Campers’ Choice activities are offered inside and outside. During Campers’ Choice, campers will be required to wear masks if they choose an indoor activity. We will not require masks at outdoor activities. This may be an unpopular decision; however, if you do not want your child to wear a mask or your child does not want to wear a mask, they may choose one of the outdoor activities.
This decision was made due to the recent spike in cases and the need to keep staff and campers healthy. Should we mix camper groups and not take precautions, we may find ourselves in a position where several staff are out sick at one time leaving us without proper supervision or staff to run activities. Hopefully, we can start this way and ease up if things seem stable.
We will continue to monitor the situation with updates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), and the American Camp Association. Overall, we are simply trying to be proactive while adhering to rules so that we can have the best summer with limited or no interruptions. We can’t wait for a fun summer ahead! We are continually grateful to you for your understanding and patience as we all navigate these unusual times together.