COVID-19

We ask that all parents would help us preserve the health and safety of all of our campers, staff, and family by disclosing if your camper meets any of the following conditions to our Health and Safety team:

• Fever of 100.4° or higher within 14 days of arriving at Camp
• Persistent cough or shortness of breath within one week of arriving at Camp
• A history of chronic illness
• Compromised immune system
• Any immediate family members that are considered high-risk
• Have traveled outside of the country within 14 days of arriving at Camp
• Have been instructed by a healthcare professional to self-isolate
• Have had any contact with a person who has tested positive or has been presumed positive for COVID-19 within 21 days of arriving at Camp.

Please contact us within one week of your camper’s session if your camper meets any of these conditions. We understand that you don’t want to have to keep your camper home, but we ask that you would consider the safety of the whole group and partner with us in keeping Camp safe.

Upon arriving at Camp, every camper will have their temperature checked by a no-contact infrared thermometer. Any camper with a fever will be sensitively moved to an isolation area for further evaluation. Out of an abundance of caution, any camper with a fever over 100.4° or persistent respiratory symptoms will not be able to stay at Camp until they have been definitively diagnosed as negative for COVID-19 by a physician.

One of the most important precautions in preventing disease of any kind is proper hand hygiene. For this reason, hand sanitizer gel will be placed at the entrance and exit to every cabin and building at Camp Deer Run and campers will be encouraged to ‘Gel In, Gel Out,’ meaning to use hand sanitizer every time they enter and exit a building. Additionally, all campers will be asked to wash hands before every Canteen, before and after every mealtime, and in between all activities.

We will promote a protected environment by requiring that any camper showing serious symptoms, as determined by an on-site health professional, be picked up by their parents or other authorized individuals. Until then, campers with such symptoms will sensitively and kindly be kept in isolation. Campers may only return to their session after they have been definitively diagnosed as negative for COVID-19 by a physician.

As always, there will be a licensed healthcare professional on-site at all times for every session. Medical attention will be available 24/7 for any camper health concerns. Our medical staff will be specifically trained to recognize symptoms of COVID-19 and the proper response.

Every camper’s most significant point of contact is their counselor. The medical staff cannot constantly monitor all 200 kids in a session at all times, so the entire summer staff will be trained on how to recognize symptoms of COVID-19 and how to properly respond.

Cabin cleanup is a part of every camper’s daily schedule. This year, however, cabin cleanup will go further than sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, and making the beds. Every day, staff will also sanitize all major contact points like door handles, hand rails, bunk bed ladders, etc. Bathhouses and all communal areas will also be sanitized multiple times per day.

Philippians 4:6 says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’ We know that the Lord is in control of all things, and we choose not to succumb to the fear and hysteria of the masses. Instead, we will continually present our petition to God that he would spare Camp Deer Run from any exposure to or negative impacts from COVID-19. That being said, we know that God has also provided us with the capacity to take every precaution necessary to do our part in stopping the spread of this outbreak, and we will do everything in our power to do so. Please join us in praying for those who have been and will be affected by this virus, and for the health and safety of every camper at Camp Deer Run this summer.

We will continue to monitor recommendations from the CDC as well as state and local officials. We are committed to communicating any future changes or additional information to the entire Deer Run family. All updates will be posted at www.campdeerrun.com/COVID19.