KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The coronavirus pandemic has canceled a lot of events, but the YMCA said their summer day camp will go on as planned.
Steve Scrapps, vice president of youth development, said parents and their children will notice changes at this year's camp.
They include a staff member meeting a child in the parking lot and asking questions based on CDC guidelines such as travel history and symptoms. Also, a child will receive a temperature check. If the check is all clear, the child is allowed inside where they'll notice more changes.
"Once you're inside, you'll notice a number of things. Enhanced social distancing. We won't have large group gatherings. They'll be small group gatherings. Staff will be wearing face mask. Staff will be doing enhanced cleanings and protocols throughout the day," Scraggs explained.
The YMCA insist this year's camp will be fun and educational, but field trips may not happen.
"Those are the types of things that, until we see a change that comes from local governments or the CDC, certainly in terms of what's possible with gatherings in groups in places like that, we probably won't be doing activities like that," Scraggs said.
He said activities at the camp like nature centers and outdoor spaces will allow for social distancing and a safe environment.
But safety is still on the minds of parents and Scraggs said one question they're getting is does a child have to wear a mask?
"The recommendations that we've received is that children can certainly wear face masks if their parents would ask them to wear them, but they're not a required component of a camp experience," he said.
Scraggs also addressed questions about if children can bring lunch.
"In terms of lunches, we're probably going to ask that parents don't send lunches in lunch boxes that are returnable, but instead disposable paper products and things like that and certainly no sharing," he said.
Students are also being asked not to share items like crayons, pencils, markers and other tools.
The camp operates at various YMCA locations between June 1 and the first week of August.
Information on the camps or enrollment can be found online.
