Parents grapple with decision

By Sheryl Rich-Kern 
Granite State News Collaborative

Jane Goodman of Hollis and parent of a Camp Young Judaea camper, says, ‘I hope and pray every day that they can go because it’ll be such a disappointment after sitting home for so long.’ (Photo courtesy of Anne Sherman)

Kids learning remotely all spring are looking forward to guitar-led singalongs, tug-of-rope tournaments, swimming lessons and all the screen-free idylls that epitomize summer camp.

For parents who’ve been juggling work with child care, paying to have their school-aged brethren warming in front of a crackling campfire after a lakeside dip is an expense worth a billion sighs of relief.

But the storm clouds of coronavirus hovers over these beloved summer rites. Day or residential camps aren’t going to look the same, says Ken Robbins, who runs Camp Kabeyun in Alton Bay and presides over the NH Camp Directors Association. For starters, says Robbins, camps will step up their screening procedures, cleaning and disinfecting protocols. He says camp directors are also awaiting guidelines by May 15 from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to determine what other measures to implement.

Meanwhile, many families are wondering if summer camps will be yet another casualty of COVID-19. Will they close the doors, shorten the seasons or delay their openings?

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