How Sleep-Away Camp Could Turn Into Zoom Camp For Some Kids This Summer

Overnight and day camps can operate in Texas starting May 31. But some are choosing to hold virtual camps instead because of the pandemic.

By Shelly BrisbinMay 21, 2020 2:45 pm, , ,

For parents across Texas, the pandemic has upended the normal rhythms of the school year. It is also changing the way kids will spend their summers. Some camps are canceled, while others will go ahead now that the state has relaxed many stay-at-home orders. And while there are social-distancing guidelines, face masks aren’t required, even as cases of COVID-19 continue to grow in Texas and rare instances of an inflammatory condition affecting children are showing up in the United States.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga told Texas Standard host David Brown on Thursday that camps are deciding how to operate this summer on a case by case basis. Some are even choosing to go virtual, which is one option for parents who aren’t comfortable sending their kids to in-person activities.

“The complaints from parents is, how do you keep these kids separated, how do you keep these kids washing their hands when you can barely get them to do it at home?” he said.

Gallaga said organizations in cities and towns across Texas are taking a variety of approaches to holding camp this summer.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How camps that are continuing in-person activities plan to do so safely

– What virtual camps will be like

– How Boy Scouts and other groups are opting for virtual camps

Web story by Caroline Covington.

 

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