General Guidance

Groups should operate in cohorts of 50 people or fewer. This includes both all day camp staff, volunteers and attendees. The cohort should remain the same each time the group meets. Cohorts cannot mix with other cohorts or be in the same room/space at the same time.

To support public health contact tracing efforts if an attendee tests positive, day camp operators should keep daily records of anyone entering the day camp who stays for 15 minutes or longer. Parent or guardian consent (for children under 18) and notify parents or guardians about the purpose and legal authority for the collection.

Information about attendees will only be requested by Alberta Health Services if a potential exposure occurs onsite.  Records should only be kept for 2 weeks. Any personal information that is collected for COVID-19 contact tracing can only be used for this purpose unless an individual or parent or guardian provides their consent.

Stay updated on COVID 19 in Alberta Click Here!

 

Screening and Response Plan

Staff members, parents, or guardians, and children must not attend the day camp program if they are sick, even if symptoms resemble a mild cold. Symptoms to look for include fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, and a general feeling of being unwell. (Please see Resources page for more information and links)

 

Staff will assess themselves daily for symptoms prior to working and will stay home if they are ill.

Any staff, parents, guardians, and children who are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, or who traveled outside of Canada in the last 14 days, or who were identified by Public Health Officials as a close contact of a confirmed case must stay home and self-isolate.

 

Drop off and Pick up:

 

• Parents must fill out the Screening sheet and check the temperature of their child daily. We will have a non-contact thermometer on site.
• Parents/ guardians will, ideally, not access the facility unless necessary.
• Staff will sign the child in and out of the program on behalf of a parent/guardians to avoid multiple people touching the pen and attendance sheets.
• Physical distancing minimums will always be maintained between staff and parents/guardians during drop off and pick up.
• Facilities will have disposable masks, gloves, and hand-sanitizer available always.
• Children will use hand sanitizer before entering the facility and will wash their hands before exiting.

Response Plan:

• If a child develops symptoms while at camp, the staff will follow the strict protocols in place to inform families that their child is unwell and needs to be picked up. There is a separate area that is more than 2 m away from the remaining children.
• Staff should wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or alcohol-based hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60% alcohol before donning a mask and before and after removing the mask (as per mask guidance), and before and after touching any items used by the child.
• If a staff develops illness while at work, they should immediately remove themselves from any contact with others, notify their supervisor, and go home.
• All items used by individuals while isolated should be cleaned and disinfected as soon as the child has been picked up. Soft-surface items or other items that cannot be cleaned and disinfected should be isolated for a period of 24 hours.

 

Physical Distancing

Physical distancing must not undermine the safety of camp (e.g. camp leaders need to be able to complete appropriate headcounts and maintain appropriate sightlines)

• Cohorts cannot mix with other cohorts or be within the same room/space at the same time, including pickups and drop-offs, mealtimes, playtime, outdoor activities, staff rooms, etc.
• There will be one entrance, exit, and washroom for each cohort.
• The maximum number of program participants may be reduced to ensure appropriate physical distancing.
• Individual workspaces will be set up with a minimum 2-meter distance from one another.
• Children will be provided with materials and supplies that they can use all.
• Staff will minimize the frequency of direct contact with children and each other and encourage children to minimize contact with one another.
• Where possible, physical distancing practices should occur. Avoid close greetings like hugs or handshakes and encourage physically distant greetings such as “air fives” and waves.
• Program activities will be planned in a way that minimizes large group interactions. We will plan for physically distant activities such as shadow tag and avoid activities that require clustering.

Food/snacks in the program

• Children will bring their own food and clean water bottles to camp. Food sharing will not be allowed.
• Children’s containers should be properly labeled to discourage accidental sharing.
• Where possible, children should practice physical distancing while eating.

Handwashing and Hygiene

Campers and staff will be encouraged to wash their hands at the start and end of the day and staff will teach campers proper handwashing techniques.

• Staff and children will wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Prompts such as “Sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or “Sing your ABC’s” will be used to help ensure hands are being cleaned according to recommended timelines.
• Staff will assist young children in a safe manner when needed.
• If sinks are not available, staff will be equipped with approved hand sanitizer. If sanitizer is used, children will be monitored in their use.
• Hand washing routines will be implemented.
• Regular hand-washing routines and reminders will be established such as handwashing before and after all activities.

 

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Program spaces and equipment will be cleaned and disinfected in accordance with Health Canada Guidelines. 

Our facility will be cleaned and disinfected before/ after camp. 

• General cleaning and disinfecting of the room during camp hours will occur frequently.
• A cleaning log must be maintained and initialed by staff.
• Frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, light switches, faucets, tables, counters, chairs, and toys will be cleaned and sanitized after use.
• Staff will wear disposable gloves when cleaning up bodily fluids such as runny nose, vomit, etc.
• Staff will wash their hands before putting the gloves on and after safely removing them.
• Equipment and Supplies:
  • Toys such as stuffed animals and items that cannot easily be cleaned will not be allowed at camp.
  • Camps will designate a “dirty bin” to collect used equipment and supplies that require cleaning and sanitizing before it can be used by another individual.
  • Technology such as laptops, mouse controllers, tablets will be cleaned before and after they are used.
  • Technology will be assigned to individuals to be used the duration of camp.

 

Resources 

AB COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool:

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Journey/COVID-19/Pages/Assessment.aspx

AB COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for Camp Settings:

https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/89104c69-febd-4270-ad15-6d9d48bb52eb/resource/143e60cf-a07d-4ac6-b90b-019f195af6d6/download/covid-19-relaunch-guidance-day-camps.pdf

Infection prevention and control

 https://www.alberta.ca/infection-prevention-and-control.aspx

 Mask Guideline:

https://www.alberta.ca/masks.aspx?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=sticker&utm_campaign=Covid19&utm_term=masks

AHS Proper hand hygiene:

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page14955.aspx

Help Prevent the Spread:

https://www.alberta.ca/prevent-the-spread.aspx

list of Government approved hard surface disinfectants 

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/disinfectants/covid-19/list.html

Symptoms and Treatment of COVID 19

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms.html?topic=ex-col-faq#s