COVID Safety Plan
The health and safety of everyone in our camps is always our top priority.
All three Cohen Camps operated safely for the entire 2021 and 2022 seasons.
We are applying a similarly-careful approach to planning and partnership in 2023.
Highlights of our 2022 COVID Safety Plan are below. Enrolled families, you’ll find your camp’s detailed plan at your Family Login.
2022 COVID Safety Plan Overview
As always, the health and safety of everyone in our Camp Pembroke, Camp Tel Noar, and Camp Tevya communities is our top priority. Keeping the virus out of camp will be difficult given the current burden of community spread and the contagiousness of circulating strains. Our objective this summer is to minimize any COVID-19 spread as much as possible.
To start, we must work together to ensure that everyone arrives, and stays, as healthy as possible. Our layered practices will reflect the balance of preserving as much normalcy as possible and staying as healthy as possible.
Working with our Cohen Camps Medical Advisory Committee we have developed our plan for this camp season which we believe will provide us with the best chance to minimize any disruption of normal camp operations caused by COVID-19. It reflects the current public health best practices and guidelines. We are constantly monitoring the best practice recommendations for healthy camps established by the American Camp Association, the CDC, and the states in which we operate: Massachusetts for Camp Pembroke, and New Hampshire for Camps Tel Noar and Tevya.
We may need to adjust our plan if the situation changes within camp or in our home communities. As always, we will keep all our camp families informed as our plans evolve. We appreciate everyone’s patience, flexibility, and partnership as we prepare for the summer.
Vaccinations and testing
All campers and staff must be up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations as defined by the CDC and guided by the Academy of Pediatrics.
Enrolled families, please use your Family Login to upload your camper’s COVID vaccination card before arriving at camp to your Family Login account under “Forms”.
Any campers or staff who arrive without documentation of their vaccination and negative PCR test or who do not pass the arrival screening will not be permitted to enter camp.
Anyone who tested positive with COVID-19 within 90 days of their camp session’s start must provide camp with documentation of the positive test; please email us to discuss.
Recommended! Optional test 14 days before camp: You may want to have your child take a PCR test 14 days before camp begins, so that if the test result is positive, your camper will have time to isolate, per CDC guidelines, and recover. This way, their arrival at camp won’t need to be delayed.
Required! Within 3 days before camp: All campers and staff entering camp must have a negative result from a PCR or similar molecular test (such as the Lucira at-home test available through your camp) taken within three (3) days (72 hours) prior to arrival. We may also request families perform a rapid antigen test before heading to camp on Opening Day of their session. If your camper tests positive before Opening Day, please contact your camp’s Health Center for instructions to arrange for late arrival.
On Opening Day: Campers and staff will be tested upon arrival with a PCR/similar molecular test.
Ongoing testing: Surveillance testing (PCR/similar molecular or rapid antigen tests) will continue after Opening Day depending on factors regarding previous camp test results, the current community prevalence of the virus, and public health guidance. All symptomatic people in camp will be tested for the COVID-19 virus, likely multiple times.
Any campers or staff who arrive without documentation of their vaccination and negative PCR test or who do not pass the arrival screening will not be permitted to enter camp.
If your child has tested positive 14-90 days before your arrival date, we will need proof of the test in the form of a Physician letter, School letter, or time stamped laboratory test result to the Health Center at your child’s camp. We need to know this information in order to properly test your child at camp.
- Test your child with a professionally-administered rapid antigen test conducted within 72 hours before arrival. Upload your test result to your Family Login account.
- We will administer another rapid antigen test to your child upon arrival.
The Cohen Camps are following CDC guidelines for positive cases. We are unable to manage positive COVID-19 cases at camp per the current CDC guidelines, given communal living arrangements and space limitations at camp.
Any camper or staff member testing positive for COVID-19 at camp will be immediately isolated. Parents/guardians will be contacted to pick-up the camper as soon as possible, within 24 hours. Staff testing positive will also leave camp within 24 hours.
With no exceptions, the camper/staff must remain out of camp for ten (10) days and may return on Day 11 if symptom-free for at least 24 hours. The day of a positive test is counted as Day 0. There are no options to test out before the end of the 10-day period.
Any close contacts of the person who tested positive will also get tested and will take additional precautions in the days following the positive test. This will help us determine whether the virus has spread, while minimizing further exposure to others.
Getting ready for camp
To help keep COVID-19 out of camp, We strongly recommend that you, your child, and everyone in your household take precautions in the weeks leading up to camp–especially the 10 days prior to camp–to avoid situations where you could contract the COVID virus.
- Please avoid unnecessary outings and large gatherings. Please avoid eating indoors at restaurants. Please wear a mask when indoors with others who are not in your family.
- Please wear tight-fitting, high filtration masks (N95/KN95 and the like) when necessary in indoor or outdoor crowded settings including school, if applicable.
During the period prior to camp arrival, please monitor and document any possible COVID-19-like symptoms in your child or yourself.
Interested families may ease their Opening Day experience with an appointment to deliver their camper’s belongings to camp in the weeks prior to Opening Day. Please watch for details from your camp.
(N95/KN95 and the like) throughout all parts of your journey to camp.Campers traveling by airplane, please wear a tight-fitting, high filtration mask
During camp
On Opening Day for all sessions, intake (COVID test, lice check, photographs) will happen completely or partially off-campus at a nearby school to better facilitate entry into camp. Your camp will send you directions and the arrival schedule for your child by email.
Like last summer, parents/guardians will not enter the cabins. You’ll get to say goodbye to your camper and leave belongings at a designated place away from the cabins, near the entrance to camp.
We will adhere to the layered health and safety protocols referred to as Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs). The data shows that these are the most effective ways to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This includes:
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Masking when needed
We may require masks be worn in certain situations like being indoors with people other than their bunkmates, depending on the circumstances at camp. Each camper should bring a box of disposable, surgical-type masks (3-ply or higher filtration type) to camp. We cannot allow fabric masks.
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Additional NPIs:
- Cabin-based family groups when appropriate
- Physical distancing when appropriate
- Hand washing
- Being outdoors as much as possible
- Effective ventilation
- Enhanced cleaning
We are currently planning for a return to an in-person Visiting Day on Sunday, July 24, 2022! As always, Visiting Day is only open to families with campers staying for both camp sessions.
We will confirm whether Visiting Day is viable as we get closer to the date, based on factors such as the current state of the virus in our communities. If the event goes ahead, it will require some modifications:
- Guests will be limited to immediate family and leashed pets.
- As per our current requirements, all visitors to camp will need to be up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations and have a negative test before arriving at camp. This is not required for parents/guardians on Opening Day.
Camp has always metaphorically been called a bubble, a special “world apart.” We will protect it this summer as a physical bubble, too.
This year, we will take field trips outside of camp only when we can be sure to minimize exposure. Like last year, we may also choose to host more special events inside camp.
Campers who need to leave camp because of a medical emergency will do so with strict protocols in place to safeguard them and any staff member assigned to take them for medical consultation/treatment.
This year we will offer tours to prospective camp families and welcome some special visitors and performers to camp. We have protocols in place to minimize the risk to the camp community, such as requiring vaccinations and masks. If you are scheduled to visit camp, we will provide full details.
To all our families and staff, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your ongoing partnership. Working together as a community we made Summer 2021 a safe and fabulous summer for everyone, and we can’t wait to do it again in Summer 2022!
Please keep in mind: even with all these careful steps, it is possible we will see a case of COVID-19 at camp. Success means that any COVID-19 cases at camp are managed safely and spread is limited.
Questions? Specifics about your child?
Parents/guardians, if you would like to speak with a Camp Director, Head Counselor, or the Health Center about your child, you will have that opportunity leading up to camp. We will send out a way to sign-up for this as we get closer to Opening Day. As always, we are available to discuss your child and answer questions at any time.
Log in to complete your forms
Enrolled families, please log to complete forms and upload vaccination documentation:
