2022 COVID-19 Information and Readmit Policy

The New York State Department of Health has released its guidelines for summer camps. We hope you can take a few minutes to read what this means for Ramaquois and for your family.

The New York State Department of Health has taken a different approach to COVID-19 this summer relative to 2021. Our schools, and many in our society in general, have moved past strict cohorting and masking. However, there are straightforward, common-sense precautions that make sense for reducing the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading at camp. The pertinent portions of the guidelines are outlined in this email.

What is on this page?

• What if my child is sick, what is the readmit/quarantine policy?
• Selected COVID-19 precautions at camp
• When would a camper be indoors?
• What happens when a camper tests positive for COVID-19?

What if my child is sick? / What is the readmit policy?

We respectfully request and encourage you to screen your child each morning for signs of illness. Please err on the side of caution and keep your child at home if he or she might be ill. Our bus counselors will also be conducting temperature screenings as campers board the bus.

• If your child is sick with something other than COVID-19, our policy remains that campers must not come to camp until they are fever free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medication
• If your child is sick with COVID-19, he or she must stay home for a minimum of five days after testing positive. The Department of Health regulations dictate that they are eligible to return after five days if they are fever free for 24 hours (without the aid of fever reducing medication) and all other symptoms are gone, or improving. The Department of Health also requires that the individual wear a well-fitted face covering on the bus and indoors on days 6-10
• If your child is asymptomatic and IS NOT fully vaccinated and has been exposed to COVID-19 at camp or elsewhere, the Department of Health recommends that he or she be tested frequently for at least five days after exposure, and wear a face covering indoors and on the bus for ten days
• If your child is asymptomatic and IS fully vaccinated and has been exposed to COVID-19 at camp or elsewhere, the Department of Health makes no specific recommendations.

Please note that the Department of Health counts the day of exposure to COVID-19, or the day of the positive COVID-19 test, as day 0 (not day 1).

Selected COVID-19 Precautions at Camp

We have made dozens of changes to our program, protocols, and facility since the beginning of the pandemic. Here are a few highlights:

• Campers will be temperature screened as they board the bus. Campers whose temperature is greater than 100.4 will not be allowed to come to camp that day
• In accordance with Department of Health guidance, we strongly recommend, but do not require, that parents encourage campers to wear face coverings on buses and indoors during rainy days
• We will continue to serve lunch outdoors
• All activities will take place outdoors with the exception of Woodworking for campers entering 4th grade and up. The Woodworking cabin is extremely well-ventilated with many open doors and windows, and has a dedicated air filtration system
• Ramaquois strongly recommends that all campers receive all COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for which they are eligible. The Department of Health requires that we know who is vaccinated and unvaccinated. Please either upload your child’s vaccination card or fill out the vaccination waiver form at www.ramaquois.com/parent (if you have not done so already)
• All frontline Ramaquois staff are vaccinated
• Whenever possible, windows on vans will be left slightly open to increase ventilation. On certain hot days, we may make a judgment call to close windows in order to increase the effectiveness of air conditioning
• For campers entering 3rd grade and up, we will be offering one complimentary trip per age group to a controlled, outdoor venue, where our campers are separated from others. Campers will return to camp in time for regular afternoon dismissal
• We are continuing with a myriad of behind the scenes changes to keep our camp as safe and hygienic as possible. Here are just a few examples:
• Increased cleaning of shared surfaces and additional hand sanitizing stations
• Our bunks and buses continue to have decreased density
• Our ThermoScan Thermometers check campers and staff for fever as they pass by
• We will continue to have two separate infirmaries, plus satellite locations for “bumps and bruises” in order to keep individuals with COVID-like symptoms away from others

When would a camper be “indoors”?

The Department of Health recommends wearing a face covering for certain individuals (see numbers 2 and 3 under readmit policy). This summer a camper will be considered “indoors” for the purpose of masking in three situations:

• On the bus
• In Woodworking (campers entering 4th grade and older. Woodworking is scheduled for these campers once every eight camp days.)
• During a rainy day schedule

Parents should provide face coverings for their children.

***Please note that there may be additional, rare situations when a camper might be indoors. If a camper is in a bunk for just a few minutes (using the bathroom, or changing into a bathing suit, etc.) they are not considered “indoors” for the purpose of masking.

What happens when a camper tests positive for COVID-19?

When a camper in your child’s group or bus tests positive for COVID-19 we will send an email indicating that they were a close contact and remind you of the Department of Health regulations (see readmit policy above.) Based upon what we’ve seen in schools the past few months, we do expect cases of COVID-19 to be common this summer.