Maine overnight camps get through summer without any cases of COVID-19
PORTLAND (WGME) – Out of all the overnight summer camps that opened up in Maine, there was not a single case of COVID-19.
No new deaths, 21 more coronavirus cases reported in Maine
Out of 100 overnight camps, Camp Wigwam was one of 15 that opened to campers near and far.
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“From as west as California, we have a large group from Florida,” Camp Wigwam Owner and Director Bob Strauss said.
Camp wigwam held a six-week session with 140 campers. Anyone on site was tested.
“That was our goal was to create a bubble within camp, nobody in and nobody out once we established that,” Strauss said. “No out of camp trips. No camp competition.”
Activities looked much different this year.
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“They spent a lot of time as a group in the beginning, which we think brought them together closer than ever before and it’s something we’re talking about doing more of in the future,” Camp Wigwam Assistant Director Cameron McAllister said.
At Camp Winona in Bridgton, instead of testing staff and campers, they quarantined when arriving to camp and worked in “pods.”
“If we did have a positive or presumptive positive case, we were going to isolate that person and care for them while making sure that we were contact tracing,” Winona Camp for Boys Owner and Co-director Laura Ordway said.
As far as what schools can learn from camps, Ordway says it’s important to be willing to adapt, but also stick to the plan.
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“Rather than feeling like a burden, they were really helpful guidelines, they didn’t say you must, everything said you should consider,” Ordway said.
Directors say it was a summer they’ll never forget.
“We gained knowledge out of the season, we gained knowledge from our procedures and our policies, and if we need to do it this way again next year, we’re confident we can,” Strauss said.