Gov. Phil Murphy announced that both day and resident youth summer camps in New Jersey have been approved to open for this coming camp season.
Guidelines for safe operations will be finalized by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) in the coming months for this approaching camp season.
Eagle’s Landing Day Camp in North Brunswick opened last summer for seven full weeks of camp following Murphy’s 2020 announcement. Functioning at limited capacity, Eagle’s Landing made it through the entire summer – with an average of 500‐600 people on the 20‐acre property every day – with no cases of COVID‐19, according to information provided by the day camp.
With the physical, mental and emotional health of the campers and staff members served by summer camp, Eagle’s Landing is committed to opening in a safe manner.
“We never waivered in our decision to open our doors last summer,” Ruth Ann Weiss, director, said in the statement. “With children being stuck inside last spring, opening for summer 2020 was something we felt was necessary to help children get outside, socialize, and have the opportunity to just be kids again. Looking forward to summer 2021, kids, along with our high school and college‐aged staff, have been stuck inside even longer, lacking the social engagement and connections that are so important for healthy development.”
Working within the guidelines provided by DOH to open safely, summer 2020 looked different than any previous summer. Precautions included, but were not limited to, screening everyone upon arriving on the property; staying outdoors as much as possible; cleaning and disinfecting regularly; and additional registered nurses in the Wellness Center, according to the statement.
By following proper guidelines and safety measures, Eagle’s Landing was able to operate as normally as possible for the full seven weeks of summer 2020 with no closures or cases of COVID, according to the statement.
Eagle’s Landing is waiting for final updated guidelines from the DOH as they prepare for summer 2021.
“Having been one of the handful of summer camps who chose to open last summer, and operated safely, we know that it be done, and we were one of the few who did it,” Director Barry Wasserman said in the statement. “We know everything won’t be back to what it was in previous summers, but now we know how to operate safely during this pandemic. We are all hoping that this summer will be even a bit more ‘normal’ than last summer. We are taking everything we learned last summer and all the safety protocols we implemented, and we are ready to adapt for the updated guidelines when they are released to ensure another amazing summer at camp for our campers and staff.”
More information about the specific guidelines for youth camps in New Jersey is available at www.nj.gov/health/ceohs/sanitation‐safety/youthcamps.shtml.
Eagle’s Landing Day Camp is located at 74 Davidson Mill Road, North Brunswick. For more information, call 732‐821‐9155 or visit www.EaglesLandingDayCamp.com