As the COVID-19 epidemic is in a receding phase in Hungary and the associated risks have decreased considerably, overnight camps can now go ahead.
Please note that as the situation might change, as the epidemic hopefully recedes further as we go deeper into the sumer, the following measures will be reviewed and eased when possible.
Our main priority is the safety and well-being of our campers and staff: in order to achieve this, we are working with local authorities and health care professionals. We have also initiated a public discourse with the country’s other major camp organizers and have jointly come up with a framework of measures that provide the basis of our approach, and has since been taken up by dozens of other camps in the region. We have also conducted a survey of Funside Balaton campers on what measures they deem fundamentally necessary (you can read the results here).
The following measures have been drawn up with the involvement of our licensed medical partners, in line with the current rules and recommendations provided by the local health care authorities.
Preventive measures and changes to the 2020 program:
Hygiene, cleaning and general preventive measures:
- Stringent cleaning protocols for all camp housing and equipment.
- Increasing the number or hand-sanitizer stations across the camp venue.
- Frequent informative communication on the necessity of good personal hygiene, hand washing and ventilation of rooms.
- Having most large attendance activities outdoors, whenever possible.
- Kitchen and catering personnel to use protective wear and masks at all times.
- All campers are asked to bring a personal water bottle, with their names marked on it.
NOTABLE CHANGES! – Arrivals and departures:
- It is vital that the camp must not be attended by anyone with a transmittable disease of any kind. Our standard Compulsory Medical Form is to be expanded for this year to cover more information, while symptom checks will be implemented upon arrival whenever deemed necessary. Staff will be examined by our licensed medical partners in advance of the camp.
- In order to limit contacts indoors, only campers and staff will be allowed inside camp buildings, therefore entering the buildings will not be possible even during arrivals or departures. Check-in and check-out will be conducted outdoors, whenever possible.
- In order to limit contacts and queuing, entry to the camp venue will be controlled during arrivals and departures. Whenever possible, we ask that each camper should be escorted inside the camp venue by only one parent (and preferably not grandparents).
Health:
- In case the camper cannot start a session due to illness, or must leave after the session has already begun, can only return to an ongoing session if they are fully healed and this is verified by a doctor using the form provided by the camp.
- Special conditions: we consider the safety of those with a higher risk of serious symptoms due to underlying illnesses a special priority. Any campers or staff members belonging to this group (e.g. undergoing immune-suppressive or steroid-based therapies, or with serious allergies or asthma etc.) must consult with their specialist doctor and bring a note that they may attend the camp this year.
Travel:
- When traveling from abroad, any rules regarding travel from the given country must be kept. (This must also be confirmed by the parents to the camp at the start of the session.)
- Anyone traveling to camp by public transport, must follow the preventive rules and guidelines applicable by the transfer provider at the time of travel, including social distancing and wearing face masks, if required at the time of travel.
We are currently still reviewing the fine details of this year’s program, as well as our decade-old process of organization, to make sure everything is in harmony with the preventive measures and the spirit of the rules. As a result of this review, further changes to the program might become necessary, therefore we reserve the right to implement additional changes in the future.
