CDC Guidelines for Summer Camp Reopenings Woefully Inadequate If Not Dangerous

The Centers for Disease Control has provided a decision tree to help state lawmakers determine whether summer camps should reopen in a few short weeks.

Meow Meow Foundation has urged hundreds of California lawmakers and Governor Newsom to carefully weigh the potential harm in allowing day camps to reopen, largely due to the fact that they are unregulated. As it stands today, thousands of camps serving millions of children are not licensed and do not receive critical health and safety oversight.

In February, Meow Meow Foundation (MMF) introduced SB 955, The Roxie Rules Act, which would require long overdue camp licensing and oversight in addition to comprehensive protections for children. The bill is currently in limbo as COVID-19 has stalled the vast majority of the senate’s legislative agenda.

The below CDC decision tree for camp reopenings consistently uses words such as “encourage” and “where feasible” and “recommended” instead of mandating hard and fast health measures during a deadly pandemic that has already killed 85,000 Americans and is now apparently causing severe illnesses among children.

MMF has been in contact with the governor’s office about potentially fast-tracking SB-955 back onto the legislative agenda or at least extracting parts of the bill that could be applied to this summer’s camp guidelines for reopening.