31 Children Test Positive for Coronavirus at Summer Camp in NY – The New York Times

Mr. Mabb, the county health official, said that Camp Pontiac had submitted such a plan. Campers and staff were tested for the virus before they arrived at camp, and the camp had been working closely with the Health Department since it became aware of the outbreak.

Camp Pontiac, located in Copake, N.Y., sits about 110 miles north of New York City on 150 acres at the foot of the Berkshires. Both boys and girls ranging from ages 7 to 16 attend the camp, and about half of them are younger than 12 years old. The camp lasts for seven weeks and costs between $12,200 and $13,550, according to the camp’s website.

The camp administration said in a statement that it was keeping in touch with the families of campers and noted that it was “owned and operated by two physicians that are at camp during the summer.”

It did not respond to further questions, but it forwarded a letter that it sent to parents saying that it had decided to test all unvaccinated campers for the coronavirus.

The camp will not close despite the outbreak, Mr. Mabb said.

Instead, more than 100 children — the 31 who tested positive and more than 80 others who were close contacts — had been asked to quarantine or isolate.

Most of the campers hail from metropolitan New York City, and their parents had come to pick them up, though one, Mr. Mabb said, sent a private jet. When their quarantine is done, they will be allowed to return to camp.

Fewer than 10 children from more distant states were being held in an isolation area at the camp. “Obviously, you can’t put them on an airplane, and you can’t put them on the bus,” Mr. Mabb said.