COVID-19 Updates

Pre-camp health screening will be in place to minimize the risk of COVID coming into the Camp Echo community. This screening is likely to include a combination of quarantine and testing based on CDC, State of Michigan, and ACA recommendations.

Campers and staff will be asked to follow a set of CDC recommended behaviors prior to arrival at camp including good hand washing often, avoiding close contact with people outside your household, wearing a face covering that covers both your mouth and nose when around others, and daily monitoring of health. All members of the camper’s household should also try whenever possible to never be with others outside their household without a facial covering 14-days prior to a camper’s arrival.   

We do not expect to require vaccines for our campers. This is based on current guidance from the ACA, which is working with the CDC and public health experts. They have shared that they don’t expect camper age participants to have access to vaccines by summer due to their low-risk and therefore low priority for vaccine distribution. Our hope is that staff will be vaccinated.

The McGaw YMCA currently has the following travel guidelines that we expect will continue through the summer: Stay home if you’ve recently traveled to a Hot Spot. Members and staff who have traveled will be asked to comply with all CDC, local and McGaw travel guidelines. If you have recently traveled to any international or domestic destination with 20+ cases per 100K as listed in the COVID-19 Risk Levels Dashboard, we ask that you stay home for 10 days following your travel.

Transportation to and from Camp Echo will be provided from Evanston, by bus and van, with pre-departure health screening and strategic bus assignments, which will include staggered bus departures. We also plan to offer drop-off and pick-up options at camp as we have in the past!

Our team is still figuring out policies in regards to air travel. We are concerned about high-risk exposure of air travel immediately prior to arrival to camp. We do expect to have a pre-camp testing component, and are not yet sure how that would work with air travel.

Individual group sizes, and the overall camp population, will be reduced to increase physical distancing between campers and staff.

We are operating at approximately 75% of our typical capacity and anticipate the most people we will have on camp at any time would be 300 people (including all staff and campers).

Group sizes will be no more than 10 people, likely 2 staff and up to 8 campers. Our wilderness teen programs that stay in platform tents (at Outpost and Birches) may have up to 12 people, since they are always outside.

Campers will be with their cabin (or trip) group and counselors most of the day, following the same schedule and participating in a variety of activities together. There are a few times when campers will have safe independent choice times, likely within their unit (of 5-6 cabins/groups).

These groups will have opportunities to do activities with other groups as a part of a Unit (5-6 camper groups) and all-camp activities. The extent to which these groups interact will be dependent on CDC, State of Michigan, and ACA recommendations.

For on-site programs, campers will get to participate in classic programs like campfires and large-group games within their units. We are also committed to providing opportunities for independent choice during unit activity times.

Programs will be adjusted to limit exposure to individuals outside of the Camp Echo community. This primarily impacts Teen and Adventure Trip programs by eliminating or reducing activities such as eating in restaurants, air travel, visiting other camps, or utilizing crowded public parks.

We will be wearing masks all the time UNLESS we are eating, sleeping, bathing, or some aquatic activities. This includes in our cabins/trip groups (unless sleeping). We will also schedule intentional times when groups can be outside and physically distanced so they can be unmasked safely. *We will be sharing a more detailed masks expectation guide later this spring!

Our groups will be spending more time outside, including eating outside whenever possible.

We will implement procedures to maintain or maximize ventilation through our interior space, by keeping vents on and/or windows open.

Campers and staff will be able to use the toilets in any KYBO throughout the day when they need to.

We will assign times for groups to safely have showering time and tooth brushing time, when they are not masked.

Our groups will eat outside whenever possible, with their cabins. We will ensure handwashing and sanitizing before meals. We will eat family style.

There will not be a choice bar, but we will have a pre-meal ordering system specifically for campers and staff with dietary restrictions.

We will not have snacks available in the dining hall, but snacks will be made available to groups throughout the day.

All campers and staff will have daily temperature and symptoms check throughout the summer.

When possible, clinic staff will examine campers and staff for non-COVID related needs outside. Medication distribution will also happen directly outside of the Klein Clinic.

We will first notify parents and get the camper tested for COVID. They will be quarantined in our clinic (typically 24 hours) until we receive test results. Their cabin group and any others who have had close contact will be monitored for symptoms and limit any interactions with others.

• If they test negative, they will return to their group after their symptoms stop. If they are still symptomatic/ill after another 24 hours, they will need to be picked up from camp, as we don’t have capacity to support campers with illness indefinitely.
• If they test positive, they will be moved to an isolation cabin and parents will be notified to pick them up as soon as safely possible. Per CDC guidelines, this person must be isolated for a minimum of 10 days and until they have been fever free for at least 24 hours. We will notify the rest of the group’s families (without sharing the name of the camper) and test all of the campers and staff in that cabin. We will follow protocols for contact tracing on camp (knowing interactions with other groups/individuals will utilize NPIs). We will also environmentally deep clean the cabin.

Due to Camp Echo’s limited Clinic capacity and Health Staff limitations, campers who have to spend a night in our Clinic for any reason will have to be picked up by the parents with 24 hours.

For staff specific COVID expectations, please see this document

Current and past Important Updates for McGaw Members
McGaw Facility Safety Protocols