Who: Any current/former Belknappers and their family
Where: YMCA Camp Belknap
When: September 3-6, 2021
What: Share the Belknap experience with family! Over the weekend you’ll have a chance to sleep in a cabin, eat meals in the dining hall, engage in a number of camp activities and traditions, and enjoy campfires with friends and fellow Belknappers.
All communications related to COVID-19 and plans for summer 2021 will be posted here.
The following link has mandatory pre-camp requirements. Additional details related to pre-camp symptom monitoring and pre-camp testing will continue to be posted on this page.
Pre-Camp Requirements for Unvaccinated Campers as of 5/25/21
Pre-Camp Requirements for Vaccinated Campers as of 5/25/21
If any changes to the list occur prior to the start of camp, a new list and updates will be posted here.
Belknap is planning coordinated efforts to minimize exposure and risk on these high traffic days.
In order to reduce the spread of COVID and safely enter and exit campers we have adjusted our drop off and pick-up process as outlined below.
Please note the following:
All unvaccinated campers must bring a printed copy of their negative PCR test on change day.
All fully vaccinated campers must bring a printed copy of their vaccination card showing date of both shots and completion two weeks prior to the start of your camp session.
We require anyone outside of their car to wear a mask at all times.
We ask that everyone except for campers stay in their car during check-in and check-out time.
Bathroom facilities will only be available on Clark Field.
Due to onsite COVID testing on drop off day, drop off time will be staggered this summer. Drop off will be between 10AM and 4PM with families being assigned a specific 1 hr arrival window. Your time slot is designated by your hometown (not current location) and sometimes also by last name. Please look for your session below to see your specific arrival times. Pick up will be on Saturdays and will be between 9AM and 11AM for all five sessions.
Drop Off process will be the following:
-Parents/Guardians will be directed to enter camp through camp’s eastern most entrance our laundry facility (just north of chase point rd. on Rt. 109).
-This will allow us to guide all cars up onto Clark Field where cars will be parked, and campers will be checked in. Check-in will consist of seeing proof of a negative PCR test within the last 5 days or vaccination card, reviewing any pertinent medical histories with our medical team and receiving division assignment.
-From Clark Lodge, campers will walk across the field to our main office where they will receive a rapid PCR test.
-Campers will return to the car and once confirmation of a negative PCR provided by the test they will be released via car to the division.
-Once cars arrive at the division, we ask that all parents remain in the car. The cabin leader will help your son with his trunk.
-The cabin leader will provide time to speak to the parents while they are in the car.
Pick Up process
-Pick Up process will consist of picking your camper up at his cabin and then returning to Clark Field to sign him out and settle up his camper spending.
Belknap’s mission remains unchanged. And much of camp life will remain the same in 2021. We will continue our Belknap traditions such as choice programming, vespers, woodcraft, candlelight and Adam’s cup. To enhance safety and still preserve the core principles of Belknap life, we have implemented the following upgrades:
Masks for campers and staff will be a part of Belknap’s plan for preventing introduction and spread of virus at Camp. Please note that campers and staff will be unmasked for sleeping, eating, showering, swimming and while participating in activities on the lake in small watercraft. Campers/staff will be allowed to take masks off with their cabin group (their “Family” for the their time at camp) when that group is not interacting with others. For information on choosing masks and number needed while at camp, please see CDC guidance and Belknap’s equipment list. Please note, our masking policy may shift in a division (age group) based on percent of campers vaccinated. (Updated 5/12/21)
Camp Belknap plans to use COVID testing as a part of our 2021 plan for entry and admittance to camp, diagnostic (symptoms) and ongoing monitoring. The following outlines our requirements for pre-arrival COVID-19 Testing.
All unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated campers attending Camp Belknap are required to have a Covid-19 PCR-based test conducted 3 to 5 days prior to camp arrival. The results must be complete and campers must arrive with a printed confirmation of a negative Covid-19 PCR-based test. For fully vaccinated campers, there is no pre-camp testing requirement. The camper will only qualify as fully vaccinated if they are 14 days after their final/second vaccination shot. Please see the pre-camp requirements.
Reminder: once campers are swabbed for a PCR test, we ask that they interact only with their household family members and engage in low risk behaviors to prevent COVID exposure between the time of testing and arrival at camp. For details, please refer to pre-camp expectations for VACCINATED or UNVACCINATED campers.
What is a PCR-based test?
A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based test is conducted to determine if a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2. More specifically, a PCR test looks for genetic material from the COVID virus itself. By contrast, rapid testing is usually antigen testing, which looks for cellular evidence of the body’s response to the virus, but not the actual virus. The PCR test is the most accurate and reliable test for COVID-19, the “gold standard.”
If you want more information on different types of testing, you can read this:
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/coronavirus-disease-2019-testing-basics
Again, Belknap can only accept a PCR test, not an antigen test. This is a state requirement for camp admission.
Where can I get tested?
Look on your local state websites or contact your primary care providers. This link might help:
https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-sites/index.html
Many drug stores such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, along with walk-in clinics, are now offering Covid-19 testing. Just make sure, wherever you go, that it is a PCR test, not a rapid antigen test.
Can I do a rapid test?
Maybe. Currently, most rapid testing is antigen testing, which the State of NH will not accept for camp admission. There are some instances of rapid PCR testing, but it is less common. Bottom line: rapid vs. slow does not matter; PCR vs. antigen does. Again, we cannot accept an antigen test per the NH guidelines and regulations. If you have further questions, please let us know.
How will the camp get the results?
You will hand carry a copy of the results with you to camp. We need a hard copy, not a screen shot or photo of the result. Your camper will not be able to remain at camp without documentation of a negative PCR test performed 3-5 days before camp, by order of the state of New Hampshire. Additionally, you may be asked to upload this document to his CampDoc medical record.
What if my child has had COVID?
If your child has had a Covid-19 infection within 90 days of camp arrival, your child does NOT have to be tested. However, you must upload documentation showing a positive Covid-19 test result to Camp Doc. We also require you to bring a hard copy of the result on arrival day.
Will campers still be tested on arrival day even if they are vaccinated?
Yes, all campers vaccinated and unvaccinated will also be tested upon arrival at camp. If the test is positive, the camper will not be allowed to enter/attend that session.
What if I still have questions about testing?
Call camp or email the Camp Belknap COVID Team at teamc@campbelknap.org
Belknap’s medical advisory group, has a detailed plan for the potential of a symptomatic individual and/or positive test at camp. This plan will include isolation, quarantine, contact tracing, and care of campers/staff.
Any camper who tests positive (vaccinated or unvaccinated) will be asked to leave camp. All vaccinated campers in close contact with a positive case, as long as they remain symptom free, will be able to remain at camp. All unvaccinated close contacts to a positive case will be required to leave camp and quarantine at home.
Visitors are only permitted until June 6th. Up until June 6th, please click below for detailed information on visiting camp. When camp is in session, for the safety of our campers and staff, visitors will be strictly limited to vendors and maintenance needs. If there is an urgent reason to come onto the property between June 7th and August 29th please call camp.
All parents, campers and staff are requested to accept this Word of Honor in an effort to support the safe operations of Camp Belknap.
