September 2021 COVID-19 Update

Frequently Asked Questions

For more details, please call our office at 845.354.1600 or view our COVID Manual for parents.

How is Ramaquois preparing for a COVID-safe summer?

The main components of a COVID-safe summer are:

• Health Screening and Testing - We’ll use best practices, and err on the side of safety, in order to keep anyone who might be sick out of camp.
• Outdoor Activities - Ventilation is crucial to stopping the spread of Coronavirus. We’ll shift our activities outdoors to keep our community as safe as possible.
• Cohorting - Keeping campers in groups reduces the likelihood and size of outbreaks. Cohorting also minimizes the number of people impacted by a contact trace.
• Face Coverings - Masks are remarkably effective at reducing the likelihood of transmission, and have become part of our daily lives! It is very likely that face coverings will be a part of a COVID-safe camp season (especially on buses, and if the weather requires any indoor activities)
• Cleanliness - We have always taken great pride in keeping Ramaquois clean. This summer, there will be an increased focus on sanitizing, disinfecting, and handwashing.

Will Ramaquois provide transportation?

Yes!In 2021, there will be extensive “behind the scenes” changes to our transportation program, and we worked closely with our bus company partners regarding sanitizing, driver testing, and protocol compliance. From a camper’s perspective, COVID-safe transportation will include the following changes.

• Ventilation will be increased by opening windows and using non-recycled air-conditioning.
• Face coverings will be required.
• There will be assigned seating that maximizes distance between campers. Campers will also be health screened and temperature checked before boarding the bus. We will ask for parents’ cooperation with this process.

What will lunch be like if COVID-19 is still a concern?

Similar to transportation, there are many behind the scenes changes that will keep our staff and campers safe. Our kitchen complies with the same Department of Health regulations that are placed on restaurants. In 2021, we instituted three major changes that impacted the camper experience:

• Increased ventilation - Rather than remaining enclosed and air-conditioned, campers would eat outdoors, under permanent awnings.
• Increased separation - Oudoors, there is more room between and within groups/cohorts and there will be plexiglass barriers in certain instances.
• Procedure changes - Adjusted lunch procedures will reduce the amount of shared surfaces and utensils.

Will Ramaquois be open on Rainy Days?

Since many day camps are planning to close on rainy days (similar to snow days in school), some parents have asked if Ramaquois will be open during inclement weather. Yes! Ramaquois will be open on rainy days!

If it is raining, we will use all of our covered areas, as well as some indoor areas. Only one cohort will use each area at a time. Face coverings will be required, and all surfaces will be sprayed with disinfectant between groups. We have seen that this combination of cleaning, cohoroting, and covering faces has been very effective in both schools and camps and will be implemented on rainy days.

Will Swim Instruction be offered?

Yes! Ramaquois will continue to offer top-notch swim instruction for our campers. Because we have nine pools, we can offer swim instruction to each group (cohort) separately. Campers will have the same quality and quantity of swim instruction as in pre-pandemic summers.

Additionally, general swims and lake activities will remain, though cohorting restrictions will be enforced.

There are so many incredible activities and special events at Ramaquois. What will change?

In a COVID environment, we will move all activities outdoors (except for Woodworking, for older children, which would be unsafe to do outdoors). Ramaquois offers over 60 different programs, and we are able to offer about 95% of these programs in a COVID environment. All of our program areas will be modified to varying degrees to keep our campers and staff safe, and to abide by regulations. However, our activities will still provide the outcomes that are important to the Camp Ramaquois experience - building community, having fun, and encouraging teamwork, sportsmanship, and self-confidence.

Will camp’s capacity be limited?

The maximum cohort size for a group based on the New York State guidelines is so high that it is irrelevant for Ramaquois. We will have our normal group sizes. We have, however, chosen to limit the total number of groups in camp in order to accommodate COVID-19 best practices.