The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued new, less stringent guidance for children planning on spending the coming months at summer-camp. Previous iterations of CDC guidance had suggested that even vaccinated campers wear masks, now it acknowledges that those who have been vaccinated can safely refrain from donning face coverings.
However, it still says that adolescents who have not been inoculated should wear them “at all times” save for a few exceptions, and allows for the possibility of a blanket mask mandate for vaccinated and unvaccinated alike if the camp is unable to distinguish between the two groups.
“Camps may also choose to continue to require masks for vaccinated and not fully vaccinated campers and staff in order to adhere to prevention strategies when it is difficult to tell who has been vaccinated or to set an example for not fully vaccinated campers” it reads.
It also encourages physical distancing in camps with both vaccinated and unvaccinated campers, asserting that “physical distancing regardless of vaccination status can improve adherence to distancing and protect privacy.”
Children under the age of two should not wear masks according to the guidance. In New York State, authorities had announced that masks would be required for all unvaccinated campers over that age, but public outcry forced them to roll back the mandate. No vaccine is presently authorized for use in children under the age of twelve.
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