Rapid COVID Testing for Camps?

COVID-19 has done it’s very best to disrupt the lives of kids, but advancements in pooled COVID testing for camps is helping to make this summer safer. Beyond the hiking, the swimming, the campfires, the marshmallows and the sing-a-longs, summer camps for children and teenagers are critically important to a young person's social development.

"Few environments are as special as camp, where kids become a community as they learn both how to be more independent and how to contribute to a group as they engage in physical, social and educational activities," according to the YMCA.

Camps, the YMCA says, teach "self-reliance, a love for nature and the outdoors and the development of attitudes and practices that build character and leadership — all amidst the fun of campfires, bugle calls, canoeing, archery, talent shows and meaningful relationships."

Summer camps also allow mom and dad to maintain their work schedules since their children have a safe, engaging environment in which to spend their summer days.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has turned everything upside down. Restrictions on social gatherings strike at the heart of summer camps, which revolve around group activities, interaction and movement within the proximity of others. And the impact has been broad. The American Camp Association alone serves more than 15,000 year-round and summer camps in the U.S., who annually serve 26 million campers.

So with the pandemic still looming large, and summer fast approaching, questions remain.

How does one social distance around a campfire? How can you social distance in a rowboat? How can you social distance during a game of tag? And what about the need to constantly wash our hands? Isn't part of the fun of summer camp the ability to get your hands dirty while out in the woods, learning about nature?

For answers to these questions, many have turned to CIAN Diagnostics’ Rapid COVID Testing strategies, the Maryland-based COVID-19 testing laboratory with a nationwide reach and endorsement from the highest levels of government.

Cian Diagnostics, the nation's premier COVID-19 testing laboratory, has the capacity to perform 30,000 individual tests per day. The only privately-owned lab recognized by the Maryland Governor’s office as a COVID-19 testing "Preferred Provider," Cian supplied the State of Maryland with a million COVID-19 tests and continues to conduct testing for Maryland state legislators and their staff.

Cian can test 400,000 on-site pooled surveillance swabs per day and is approved to conduct COVID-19 testing, and report results, in all lower 48 states. CIAN also maintains the fastest average turnaround time for reporting COVID-19 test results, less than 30 hours, as determined by the State of Maryland.

As far as summer fun is concerned, Cian has many options for the operators of summer camps left in the lurch by the greatest health crisis to impact the U.S., and their industry, in generations.

So what's to know about summer camps and the COVID-19 testing that keeps your campers safe, and gives your moms and dads peace of mind and confidence in your operation? Plenty.

For starters, the time is at hand for those who operate summer camps to order COVID-19 testing kits. CIAN can prepare you for as close to a normal summer camp season as possible. Follow us to learn more about COVID testing for Camps. With our state-of-the-art private lab COVID testing services, CIAN Diagnostics is committed to providing you with results that reflect an efficient, streamlined and time-sensitive approach to managing the pandemic.

One thing to keep in mind is that, even though vaccinations continue and overall COVID restrictions are eased nationwide, uncertainty continues to consume us all and how the pandemic ultimately plays out is far from clear.

Remember, it was not even a year ago when the summer camp got clobbered by the pandemic and the restrictions on public gatherings that followed.

According to a June 2020 study from Campminder.com, of the 885 camps it had contacted, 62% — more than half — had decided against running in-person programs last summer. Even the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, remains cautious and continues to issue guidance for summer camps.

According to the CDC, guidance to keep in mind includes:

The more people that a camper or staff member interacts with, and the longer the interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The risk of COVID-19 spread at youth camps can be broken down into groups:

• Lowest Risk:Small groups of campers that stay together all day, each day; campers remain at least 6 feet apart and do not share anything. Priority is placed on outdoor activities and campers are from the local city, town or county.
• More Risk: Campers who mix between groups but remain at least 6 feet apart and don't share anything. Priority is placed on outdoor activities and campers are from the local city, town or county.
• Even More Risk:Campers mix between groups and don't remain spaced apart from each other. This is a higher risk group even if the campers are from the local community.
• Highest Risk: Campers mix between groups, do not remain spaced apart and are not from the local community.

Remind campers and staff to wash their hands and stay home when sick.

Camp staff and management should have a plan for the cleaning and disinfecting of the camp environment.

Maintain adequate supplies of hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Remember that mask-wearing can be challenging for younger campers Masks should NOT be placed on babies or children younger than 2-years-old, anyone who has trouble breathing, anyone who is incapacitated or anyone who is unable to remove the mask without help.

Be sure to have an adequate number of accessible sinks and sufficient supplies for people to clean their hands. These include soap; paper towels or hand dryers to dry hands; tissues; disinfectant wipes; and no-touch/foot pedal trash cans with covers.

Adequate signage reminding campers and staff to socially distance and wear masks is critical.

The CDC has made great COVID-19 guidance resources available on their website that could help make your camp a safer place for staff and campers.

Towering above it all is the need for testing to combat the pandemic. The CDC has published COVID testing guidelines on who should be tested.

CIAN Diagnostics’ rapid COVID testing strategies can help you maintain a safe, healthy and productive summer camp environment for staff and campers, while offering moms and dads a sense of security.