Happy kids enjoy a day at summer camp. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Summer camp just got even better!
Vaccinated teens will be permitted to go maskless — and without social distancing — according to the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, handed down Friday.
Summer camp guidance is a little less clear for unvaccinated campers and kids under 12.
“In general, people don’t need to wear masks outdoors,” said Erin Sauber-Schatz, head of the CDC’s Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force. “That includes unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people due to the really low risk of transmission outside.”
But, she added, “even though outdoors is really safe, there are still key times when if you’re not fully vaccinated, you should be wearing a mask.”
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That could potentially include activities like campfires or large groups where children are singing songs. Studies have shown that “respiratory droplets travel farther” when people are singing, chanting and shouting, Sauber-Schatz noted.
For indoor activities, the CDC “strongly encourages” masks for anyone over age 2 as well as anyone who is unvaccinated.
Recommendations are not mandates and could vary from camp to camp.
“Camps may also choose to continue to require masks for vaccinated and not fully vaccinated campers and staff in order to adhere to prevention strategies when it is difficult to tell who has been vaccinated or to set an example for not fully vaccinated campers,” the agency says.
“Camps should be supportive of campers or staff who choose to wear a mask. Particularly in areas of substantial to high transmission, camps may consider requiring mask use indoors by all people present including vaccinated campers, staff, and other people such as visitors.”
Many summer camps were closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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