Raleigh summer camp notifies parents of COVID-19 case exposure
The city of Raleigh notified parents late Sunday that someone at their child’s summer camp tested positive for COVID-19.
Exposure began June 29 — the same day that city summer camps reopened — at the Millbrook Exchange Park youth day camp, which also holds activities at the nearby Ann Gordon Center for Active Adults.
Twenty-four families had children registered for the camp last week and all were notified, according to the city.
“Your child had exposure to the individual who tested positive and it is possible that your child could have contracted the virus,” the email to parents said.
Only campers and camp employees have access to the buildings.
The email to parents doesn’t identify the person, but the person is identified as a part-time counselor in an email to the Raleigh City Council, according to a Facebook post from Council member David Cox.
“A part-time counselor notified staff that a close friend had tested positive for COVID-19,” according to the post. “The individual was not allowed to return to work until tested. The individual tested positive. Though the individual worked only one day at a single facility, we have notified staff and families at two facilities given potential sibling exposure.”
The campsite is closed for cleaning, and children who would have attended summer camp at Millbrook this week were assigned to another location, according to the post.
The city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department staff estimate 30 part- or full-time employees also will be asked to quarantine, according to the post.
“We will continue to monitor all camps closely and do what we can to protect our staff and participants,” according to the post. “We hope that the safety precautions and the quick actions were effective in preventing spread of the infection at the campsite.”
Students were put in groups of 12 — called a household — and there is limited group contact between households, according to information provided to campers before camp started. Group space like common areas and restrooms were cleaned more often.
Campers and camp employees had to participate in a daily wellness screening to get their temperatures taken and answer a few medical questions.
Parents were told not to bring their child back to camp until they have been isolated for 14 days since the time of the exposure without symptoms, according to the letter to families.
The city originally had more than 16,000 registrations for camps across 40 locations before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 8:21 AM.
