Summer Camps Prepare For 'Back To Normal' As Covid Restrictions Ease
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- As statewide Covid-19 restrictions soon loosen, summer camps will have more flexibility and fewer rules.
This week, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that all settings including schools, daycare facilities and summer camps will no longer need to require masks. As always, though, individual institutions can set their own policies.
In Baltimore County, it's the first week of Camp Rock, which remained open throughout the pandemic, but lost about two-thirds of its regular campers last summer.
"It's great to be back especially for him," said Ronke Awojoodu, a Camp Rock parent. "It's great to have that social interaction that I believe he's really missed."
The summer session is starting out a number of Covid precautions - small groups of campers, distancing, many more outdoor activities and all kids 5+ are required to wear a mask indoors.
On Tuesday, Governor Hogan announced that on July 1, Maryland's State of Emergency would be lifted and that all restrictions and mandates would end.
The Director Camp Rock, Julie Traut, said she is looking forward to eventually lifting Covid-related restrictions but is waiting for more specific guidance from the Maryland Department of Health, which has been advising summer camps throughout the pandemic.
"I think it's going to give the campers another level of freedom that they've been looking for," Traut said. "They're coming out of a year of being afraid and they're realizing they don't have to be afraid anymore."
Traut said that even though the rules are changing, any campers who want to keep their masks on and continue to follow certain Covid precautions will, of course, be able to do that.
