PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) ─ When kids return to summer camp this year, they’ll still need to bring their face masks with them.
The Rhode Island Department of Health said as it stands right now, kids won’t need to wear masks while they’re outside, but they’re expecting further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the coming weeks.
“Right now, the CDC is thinking about summer camps like school settings,” Joseph Wendelken, a spokesperson for RIDOH said. “That means that all children should continue to wear masks, whether they are fully vaccinated or not.”
Wendelken said it’s especially important because many children that attend summer camp can’t get vaccinated yet, “and even for children who are ages 12 to 15, they have to get their second doses and then wait another two weeks.”
“Most of these children would not be ‘fully vaccinated’ until the end of June or early July at the earliest,” he continued.
Lara D’Antuono, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Warwick, tells 12 News they will be following state guidelines when it comes to wearing masks.
“Regulations right now have not changed, so right now, all kids and all staff have to wear mask,” D’Antuono said.
But mask or no mask, she said this summer will be truly beneficial for kids, who have mostly been stuck at home for the past year.
“They are trying to adjust back to the real world,” D’Antuono said. “I think the benefit of coming to a summer camp is that we help with that transition. You’ve got a counselor that will support you, these are friends you have known all along and there is no pressure of school, a kid can just be a kid.”
