Coronavirus (COVID-19) Awareness & Preparedness at Camp Laurelwood
Dear Camp Laurelwood community,
As news about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we want to assure you that the safety, security, and well-being of your children and our wider Connecticut community remain our primary concern here at CL.
We know that sending your children to camp means trusting us with the most important people in your life, and can be difficult under any circumstance. We are committed to caring for every member of our camp family, and will take every precaution necessary. Through our ACA Accreditation, work with the Foundation for Jewish Camping and Association of Independent Jewish Camps, as well as working with our Doctor and onsite nursing team, Camp Laurelwood is well positioned to receive professional advice and act accordingly.
Although camp is still several months away, our team is already taking precautions to prepare for the summer, and making sure we continue with best practices already in place to ensure the health and safety of our community:
- Camp Laurelwood will be increasing our hand sanitizing stations around campus, and our staff will continue to work with all campers on appropriate hand washing and hygiene.
- We will work with our kitchen team to make sure water bottles are properly sanitized throughout the week.
- We are continuing to work with the local health authorities, national camping authorities, and our vendors, to make sure we have the recommended cleaning supplies. We will be prepared to enact any and all recommendations made.
Many families have questions regarding the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus and how it may impact the 2020 camp season. We continue to be in contact with the local Health Department, and are monitoring this public health concern. Information is constantly changing and parents should refer to The Center for Disease Control (CDC) updates at Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Sheet and the Connecticut Department of Public Health informational website. Here at CL we are counting down the days until opening day 2020 and as a team, we are confident that we have the ability and resources to keep your campers safe and to make this the best summer yet!
While this is a public health concern, the CDC continues to report that the immediate risk to the general public remains low at this time. We do, however, want to remind everyone of some general precautions we can all take to reduce the spread of any virus:
- Frequently wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Avoid sharing drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, etc.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick and see your doctor. Please refer to the advice of your physician/CDC Guidelines to determine when it is safe for you to return to work.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
Please know that we as a full-time Camp Laurelwood team will continue to diligently prepare our campus for Summer 2020 and continue to follow all recommended guidelines, as the safety of our campers and families is of utmost importance. The COVID-19 strand of the Novel Coronavirus is an evolving situation that we will continue to closely monitor.
For any parents with campers participating on the Bonim trip to Costa Rica:
As we do every year, we continue to monitor guidelines set forth by the CDC and the United States State Department. The State Department has our 2020 travel information and updates the CL team in real time to any changing situations on the ground in Costa Rica. At this time we are closely monitoring the recommendations made by the World Health Organization as it relates to international travel and we will follow all guidelines for health and safety as we continue to prepare for the upcoming trip.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us anytime and any one of our CL team members would be happy to speak with you.
Sincerely,
Louis Lasko and the Camp Laurelwood Board of Directors.
