Change of plans for roughly 200 campers amid COVID-19 outbreak at Huntsville camp
An overnight camp in Huntsville was forced to cancel for two weeks at the start of the camping season due to a COVID-19 outbreak among multiple staff members.
Camp Wabanaki on Lake Vernon was meant to welcome roughly 200 overnight campers for the first time in two years Monday, but in a statement to CTV News, Interim CEO Mike Ennis said the virus likely spread while staff were in their final training week.
At least eight staff members with the YMCA-run camp tested positive.
Ennis said they are working closely with the health unit to reduce further exposure.
Families were notified of the cancellation on Saturday.
"We understand this news was difficult and disappointing for camp families, and we have sincerely apologized to them for this unavoidable impact on their summer plans," Ennis added.
The interim CEO said impacted families would receive a full refund and noted roughly half had rebooked into later camps.
"We intend to reschedule our Leader-In-Training program, which is a month-long session, to a later date this summer," he concluded.
Officials said Camp Wabanaki would reopen on July 18.
Meanwhile, disease specialist Dr. Sohail Gandhi said while COVID-19 isn't prevalent, it is part of the new normal.
"We will have outbreaks of COVID at some point in the future," he said. "I suspect they'll be sporadic because we're a highly vaccinated population right now, but from time to time, unfortunately, we can expect to hear stories like this."
Dr. Gandhi recommends anyone at high risk, including seniors and those with illnesses that affect their immune system, take measures like masking and social distancing to reduce their risk of infection.
Ontario allowed overnight camps to restart last July after being closed during the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.