Non-pharmaceutical interventions and COVID-19 cases in US summer camps: results from an American Camp Association survey

Abstract

BackgroundMost camps remained closed during Summer 2020, due to concerns regarding child transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and limited information about the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) within child congregate settings.MethodsWe surveyed US camps about on-site operations, camper and staff demographics, COVID-19 cases among campers and staff, and NPI usage as related to pre-camp quarantine, facial coverings, physical distancing, cleaning and facility modifications. For all NPIs, save quarantine, responses were provided on a 5-point Likert scale format.ResultsWithin 486 on-site camps, a range of NPIs were instituted, most often related to reduced camper interactions, staff face coverings, cleaning and hand hygiene. Camper facial coverings were less common, with campers always wearing masks at ~34% of the camps. Approximately 15% of camps reported 1+ confirmed COVID-19 case in either campers or staff, with three camps reporting a COVID-19 outbreak. In both single and multi-NPI analyses, the risk of COVID-19 cases was lowest when campers always wore facial coverings. Constant use of staff facial coverings and targeted physical distancing measures, but not pre-camp quarantine, also reduced COVID-19 risks.ConclusionsWe found constant facial coverings, especially for campers, and targeted physical distancing measures to reduce risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within summer camps. Our findings provide valuable insights for future operations of summer camps and other child congregate settings regarding the use of NPIs to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Evaluation of Safety Measures at a Medical Summer Camp During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

“…Our findings correspond with those from previous studies that show low-transmission rates when a multilayered mitigation approach to infection control is implemented. 17 -22 Similarly, our findings are consistent with findings of studies showing low-transmission rates within schools that have a multilayered mitigation approach to infection control. 23 -26 Our findings are contrasted by findings of studies that show high-transmission rates within residential summer camp communities without a multilayered mitigation approach to infection control.…”

“…These NPIs have been used to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 with varying degrees of success. [17][18][19][20][21][22] To our knowledge, none of these studies has evaluated the role of NPIs in a medical summer camp setting. The objective of this study was to describe the demographics, NPIs, and transmission patterns of SARS-CoV-2 among medically complex children while attending a medical summer camp.…”

Evaluation of an infection control protocol to limit COVID-19 at residential summer camps in 2021

“…Coupled with proactive symptom monitoring, there were no positive COVID-19 cases detected in staff. This study adds to an expanding literature demonstrating the efficacy of non-pharmacologic interventions in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and guiding policy for potential [15,16]. However, this is the first study that utilized a rigorous COVID-19 testing strategy to create a "bubble", which allowed campers to then safely forego cohorting and mask wearing.…”

Ranking Effectiveness of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions Against COVID-19: A Review

“…is based on experimental data and not based on forecasts/simulatons, and was conducted on a geographical region level (one or more), meaning that studies that only focus on selected groups of people (e.g. people from Universities only) [7,8] were not included.…”