Update 7 December
Having received confirmation from NSW Health that our holiday camps, in the back half of the year, were appropriate to go ahead, we were delighted to receive so many positive comments from both campers and their parents about the safe and positive environment on our winter and spring camps. We were also very pleased to have an inspector from the local Public Health Unit visit one of winter camps and comment on how well we had addressed matters through our COVID Management Plan and praise the procedures that we had established. We will be continuing to engage with NSW Health and will inform you if any changes are required.
As you may be aware from our previous updates, CRU has been committed to reviewing national and international advice on how to best respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we cancelled all CRU Day Camps in the autumn school holidays, and significantly limited the number of camps and camper places for the winter and spring seasons.
We are well-aware of our obligation to act responsibly, not only complying with all current and future regulations but, additionally, following the best health advice. But we are also well-aware of the benefits of the community on a CRU Holiday Camp, and are committed to providing this in the future. The community aspect of camp is needed in 2020 perhaps now more than ever!
The continued easing of restrictions, especially for schools and school-aged children, has meant that we can plan towards running CRU Day Camps in summer. We will continue to monitor health advice and government guidelines, and are adjusting our programs and procedures in order to provide a safe and valuable CRU Camps experience. Based on the current advice and guidelines, our protocols include:
Limiting the number of campers so that there are fewer people on site;
Maintaining social distancing where appropriate;
Adopting strict standards relating to hygiene and infection control;
Requiring the wearing of masks on chartered bus journeys to and from camp;
Requiring anyone displaying symptoms of ill-health before camp to stay away from camp, or to leave camp if symptoms arise during camp;
Having quarantine facilities available for any camper or leader who does display symptoms in order to isolate them until they can be picked up from camp; and
Increasing site cleaning above normal levels.
You would appreciate that we cannot guarantee the health of all who attend camp, just as no school or workplace can guarantee this; but our advice is that the adoption of these measures gives us the best possible chance of avoiding infection. In addition, children have been seen to have a much lower infection rate than adults, and studies have also identified that children seem to transmit COVID-19 at a noticeably lower rate than adults.
Please note that we will continue to respond to advice and direction from the authorities with regard to each camp and will be subject to this. This may mean that we need to cancel camps even at late notice. We will certainly endeavour to minimise inconvenience as best as we are able.
We are convinced that CRU Camps provide a wonderful opportunity for your child to maximise their potential and are particularly valuable at a time like this. A three-year research program conducted by the Outdoor Youth Providers Research Alliance (OYPRA) has outlined the benefits to mental health and wellbeing which come from camp attendance, which will be of immense value to campers of all ages this season.
We realise that there is a range of opinions and emotions about the future, and each family will make decisions which reflect their own circumstances. Please know that we are always here to work together in this, and are more than happy to discuss your options with you. Feel free to email us at crucamps@cru.edu.au or call us on 9874 8933 (option 1). We’re thankful for your ongoing partnership and support.
For our full ‘COVID Management Plan’, please click here.
This management plan has been written in reference to the NSW Government’s Industry Safety Plans, available from: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-safe-businesses. In particular, our camping activities comply, in their various elements, with the safety plans for community sporting competitions and full training activities, hotels and accommodation, caravan parks and camping grounds, and restaurants and cafés.
Warm Regards,
Calum Henderson
CRU Day Camps Manager
7th December 2020