Dear Gilboa Families and Friends,
We are excited as always about preparing for the upcoming camp season.
As you know, the health and safety of Gilboa chanichimot (campers) and tzevet (staff) is of the utmost importance to us. With coronavirus on everyone’s mind, we wanted to let you know what steps we are taking to ensure that we are ready.
We are receiving timely updates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as from the California Department of Health. While there are many unverified sources of information about coronavirus online and on social media, we are relying on official sources as well as professional guidance from the American Camp Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, local health officials, and our own Gilboa Medical Committee—physicians with diverse and relevant fields of expertise.
Working with these professionals, we are reviewing our already strong camp protocols and will be meeting on a regular basis to address the situation as new information becomes available.
As you know, Gilboa is accredited by the American Camp Association and we have passed every accreditation visit with perfect scores. Camp health protocols detail how campers and staff are screened before coming to camp, individual and group hygiene instructions given to counselors, sanitation procedures for bunks, bathrooms, and food services, and communication plans, among many others. We will assess each detail, determine what additional staff training and orientation are needed, and we will keep families informed of our work.
To date, we know that influenza (the common flu) has had much more severe consequences than coronavirus.* Like driving a car, influenza is a risk that we have integrated into our everyday life. Corona is a new risk and it’s understandable to have concerns and questions. Please know that we will continue to monitor the situation with careful thought and sensitivity, and we welcome your calls and emails!
Warmly,
Dalit Shlapobersky, Executive Director
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