CDC releases 'cruel' summer camp rules: Masks must be worn indoors and outdoors, no toy sharing and kids must be 3ft apart

 

The CDC has been slammed for releasing 'cruel' rules for summer camps that instruct campers to wear masks indoors and outdoors and remain at least three feet apart. 

Last month, the CDC shared guidance on how summer camps should operate. That guidance includes mask-wearing indoors and outdoors for campers and staffers whether vaccinated or not. Vaccinations, for now, are limited to adults, not kids.

'All people in camp facilities should wear masks at all times with exceptions for certain people, or for certain settings or activities, such as while eating and drinking or swimming,' the CDC said. 

According to the CDC, campers should wear their masks for sports and athletic activities that are done outdoors when possible. Campers should also avoid playing close-contact or indoor sports.

The guidance comes as summer camps that have been devastated by the pandemic prepare to welcome new campers in the coming months. About 60 summer camps had to close their doors due to the impact of the pandemic over the last year.  

The agency also noted that campers should maintain a distance of three feet between all campers within a cohort, at least six feet between all campers outside of their cohort and at least six feet while eating and drinking, including among people within the same cohort. 

Experts have blasted this guidance as 'draconian' with one infectious disease scientist telling the New York Magazine: 'With staff and parents vaccinated, there is no reason to continue incredibly strict mitigation efforts or put severe limitations on activities.

'Requiring kids to continuously wear masks at camps, even while outside playing in the heat, when it provides little additional protection is unfair and cruel to our children. 

Epidemiologist Dimitri Christakis told the publication that the CDC's guidance is 'unfairly draconian'. He added: 'We should let kids be close and play, he said, adding that 'keeping children masked for activities like baseball and tennis is ridiculous'. 

Most camp directors sat out last summer as the virus raged across the country, either because of state restrictions that barred them from opening or because of concerns about keeping kids healthy. 

But with cases declining and more people vaccinated each day, many are feeling more confident about reopening this season. 

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