August 6 COVID-19 Update
Camper safety is our top priority and we remain committed to doing everything in our power to prevent the entry of COVID-19 into camp and mitigate its impact according to the Governor’s Texas State Health protocols when it does enter. All youth and family camps are currently open.
We have had thousands of campers and summer staff on all of our properties through our week 11 session, ending August 8th. At this time, we have had COVID-19 incidents at some of our camps in Texas. However, we are thankful that to date, almost 90% of our camp sessions have been unaffected by the coronavirus.
We have communicated with all the camper families directly impacted via phone as well as the other campers at those camps in full transparency. We also communicate twice-weekly video health updates from our individual Camp Directors directly to parents of registered youth campers through our CampLife App. We are also working alongside the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, the Consumer Protection Agency, and our local county health officials and keeping them updated. They are fully aware of these COVID cases and have been very pleased with how we are handling them and mitigating the spread of the virus.
When a camper or staff member is identified through our daily health screenings as having COVID-19 symptoms, they are immediately isolated, tested, and quarantined according to the Governor’s Texas State Health protocol for mitigating the virus when it enters camp. Campers are sent immediately to quarantine in their home.
Please note that all of our camp properties are very separate facilities and there is no overlap for 2020 as part of our virus mitigation strategy.
We are grateful for the trust you show us each summer and do not take it lightly. We will keep this information updated throughout the summer showing those camps impacted.
East Texas Camps: Tyler, Texas
Towers:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: One Towers staff members tested positive for COVID-19 following week 4. Their staff cabin mates tested negative. All registered Towers camper families for sessions week 4-11 received notification with details about this situation just so they are aware.
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: No cases
Ranch:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: Four camper cabins have been impacted by COVID-19 this week and four non-counselor behind-the-scenes staff. (The cabins included one senior counselor of a girls cabin, one boy camper and two of his counselors tested positive on Thursday evening, and two girl counselors Friday afternoon). Those who did test positive were immediately isolated and left camp to quarantine at home. All parents of remaining campers in cabins that were impacted have been called.
Timbers:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: Some of our staff and campers were impacted by COVID-19 during week 6. We decided to pause and cancel weeks 7 and 8 for a 14 day reset. All week 7 & 8 campers were called and emailed. Weeks 9-11 campers were also Emailed to keep them informed.
Week 7: Suspended
Week 8: Suspended
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: No cases
Shores:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: One Shores staff member, with no camper contact, tested positive. They were isolated, tested, and quarantined. Their staff cabin mates all tested negative. All registered Shores camper families for sessions week 4-11 received notification with details about the situation just so they are aware.
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: After campers concluded their session on Saturday, a few staff members began having symptoms that evening. They were immediately isolated, tested and left camp to quarantine at home before week 8 campers arrived. Their test results came back positive. A few campers from their cabin and buddy-cabin (cohort) have also reported testing positive. All parents from the cohort were called and all registered campers from Shores weeks 7,8, 9 received communication through the CampLife App.
Week 8: After hearing back from a few week 7 campers who tested positive and a few more staff early in week 8, we made the decision to conclude our session 8 of camp early in an abundance of caution and suspend our week 9 session at Shores. All campers from week 8 and 9 sessions were notified via phone call and email and week 10 and 11 families were also directly notified.
Week 9: Suspended
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: No cases
Woods:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: One adult camper tested positive after learning while at camp that they had been exposed prior to camp. The entire family and staffer with whom they were in contact have gone home to quarantine.
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: No cases
Bluffs:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: At the end of the week, we received a positive test result from one staff member. This staffer went home prior to week 5 campers leaving. The staff member’s staff cohort was also isolated and tested. On Sunday, we had more staff members test positive. All week 5 families were informed Saturday morning while still on property, and then individually called on Sunday with the additional results, asking each family to consider themselves exposed and to quarantine for 14 days.
Week 6: Suspended
Week 7: Suspended
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: No cases
Central Texas Camps: Columbus, Texas
Silverado:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: Some of our week 4 staff and campers were impacted from COVID-19. All registered camper parents were notified and asked to quarantine their campers for 14 days.
Week 5: Some of the staff and campers from week 5 were impacted from COVID-19 from staff who developed symptoms after camp started. We communicated with all camper parents and encouraged them to quarantine their campers. Fresh, unexposed, and ready-to-go staff members were brought in beginning week 6.
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Outback:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Ridge:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: A camper from our 2-week program learned while at camp they had been exposed prior to camp. They were isolated, tested and quarantined at home. They tested positive. Their cohort was also sent to quarantine at home and a few campers and staff later tested positive. Week 2-11 registered Ridge campers families were notified of this situation.
Week 3: More staff and some campers tested positive during week 3, so we made the decision to shut down Ridge for 14 days to reset with new, fresh staff. All registered camper families received notification.
Week 4: Suspended
Week 5: Suspended
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: One camper received word during his week that a parent had just tested positive. That camper was isolated, tested and went home mid-week. All the parents of other campers in his cabin and co-cabin (cohort) were called to let them know and contacted again when test results came back positive Friday morning. A work crew staff member who also had direct contact with this same cabin also tested positive and they along with other staff with whom they worked or bunked, also left property to quarantine at home. All camper parents from week 8 and 9 at the Ridge were also communicated with about this through the health updates on the CampLife app with a text alert and email.
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Crier Creek:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: We experienced a few COVID-19 cases toward the end of Week 5 and communicated with our week 5 families that they should consider themselves exposed and to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Week 6: We had a camper who unknowingly brought COVID-19 into camp week 6 and didn’t realize it until after he left. Unfortunately, it spread to 2 of our college summer staff who tested positive. We quarantined all of the other staff who were exposed to those 2 staff. We notified our Week 6 families with this update in case they needed to quarantine for 14 days, gave our week 7 families a heads up and notified our Week 8 families as well.
Week 7: One staff member tested positive toward the end of the week. They were isolated and the campers went home a day early. The remaining summer staff were also sent to quarantine at home. Fresh, new summer staff were brought in for Week 8 campers. All Week 8 campers were notified.
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases
Week 11: No cases
Southeast Camps: Lake Hartwell, South Carolina
Chimney Point:
Week 1: No cases
Week 2: No cases
Week 3: No cases
Week 4: No cases
Week 5: No cases
Week 6: No cases
Week 7: No cases
Week 8: No cases
Week 9: No cases
Week 10: No cases