COVID-19 Statement
Smoky Mountain Christian Camp
Summer Camp 2020 Update
May 19, 2020
● The SMCC Board Members have continued to review the latest information from
Monroe County Health Department, as well as camp guidelines adopted from other
camps, the TN Governor’s reopening plan, and the CDC.
● Last Thursday the CDC released their Camp Leader decision making tool which
allowed us to review expectations for camps to reopen.
● The SMCC Executive Board has met on several occasions. We are united behind the
decision to make some changes to our 2020 schedule, but not to close for the summer.
● According to the State and Health Department directors that we have reached out to,
many believe that summer camps will be allowed to reopen for a shorter summer season,
with less capacity, while following the CDC’s current guidelines.
● We had originally planned a 10-week summer. Now we plan to have 6 weeks of camp
and have high hopes that the state will officially approve our plan and give SMCC and
other summer camps the approval to open in the weeks ahead.
● We are pushing the start dates of camp back to June 21st to allow us a month to plan and
implement changes, train our staff, and continue to stay up to date with the latest
recommendations.
● Our first week of camp will be the Junior/Beginner week beginning June 21st.
Thank you for supporting SMCC and keeping us in your prayers. We take the safety of your
children, our volunteers, and our staff very seriously. We are trusting in our health agencies
recommendations, our boards prayers and unified vision, and above all we place our trust in
God’s protection. We also believe that in all things, God is in control. This is God’s camp and in
the end, it’s all His.
●
Dorms will sell out this year at 50% capacity in June, and depending on the CDC and
State guidelines, no higher than 75% in July. For now, a total of 50 kids have been put on
sessions with a waiting list pending TN guidance.
● We will stagger camper drop-off and pickup times.
○ We will have parents drop off kids at different times according to their last name.
■ Example: Campers whose last name starts with A through H will come
from 3:00PM to 3:30PM.
● We will screen children, family members, (limiting only one member of each child to
help them through the registration process), faculty, and employees upon arrival for
symptoms and history of exposure, including temporal temperature checks.
○ Anyone who registers with a temperature (99.0 F)with the temporal thermometer,
will be rechecked with an oral thermometer and assessed further, if deemed
necessary, by our camp nurse.
○ Any campers who have knowledge of their possible or definite exposure to the
coronavirus, been sick over the past two weeks, have a temperature onsite, or
have taken any antipyretics to subdue a fever in the last 24 hours will not be
allowed to check in.
● Campers will have their temperature checked daily by our nurse or those our nurse
instructs.
● Children with elevated health risks including autoimmune disorders, lung related
illnesses, and severe asthma are encouraged not to sign up or attend.
● We will adjust all parts of our schedule to reduce gatherings larger than 25.
○ Campers will stay in their family groups of 8-10 campers for most electives,
games, and meals.
● We plan to intensify our cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, meal times and canteen, and
plan to have kids outside the majority of the day when weather is not hard rain or severe
storms.
● Visitors will be extremely minimized on site during camp sessions this year. Only parents
dropping off kids, picking up kids, and vendors dropping off deliveries will be allowed
on site.
● We have researched with our insurance company Brotherhood Mutual to see if we need
an additional waiver for parents to sign during Covid-19 and have found that it is not
necessary and already covered by the current registration form.
● We are doing everything in our power to keep kids safe and follow the state and CDC
guidelines, but cannot guarantee no one will be exposed to Covid-19 or any other virus,
illness, etc.