Coronavirus outbreak forces Bible camp in Oregon to shut down, officials say

Campers’ temperatures were taken daily, they washed their hands frequently and kept a safe distance from one another.

But that didn’t prevent at least 25 campers and staff from testing positive for the coronavirus at Trout Creek Bible Camp in Oregon, the Oregonian reported.

The camp announced on July 28 it would close for the rest of the season, a blog post on the camp’s website said. It’s the state’s first summer camp to see a large outbreak, according to the Oregonian.

“This is a difficult decision, but one we feel is best for this time,” the post said.

As of July 26, the camp in Corbett had 19 cases, the Oregon Health Authority reported. Officials initially began an investigation into the outbreak at the camp July 21, according to the agency’s website.

While most of the camp’s activities were held outside, where transmission is less likely, campers did not wear masks until after Gov. Kate Brown expanded the state’s mask mandate to require face coverings outside when social distancing is not possible, KATU and the Oregonian reported.

According to Trout Creek’s website, children who are in the second to 12th grades were welcome at the camp.

“The camp said they were taking every precaution they could, and he still go it,” said Shannon Thompson, a mother of a 12-year-old camper who contracted COVID-19, according to the Oregonian. “Five days at summer camp and he picked it up.”

Oregon has 19,366 confirmed coronavirus cases and 328 deaths as of Aug. 4, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Coronavirus outbreak forces Bible camp in Oregon to shut down, officials say."