Colorado public health officials on Friday reported an outbreak of the novel coronavirus among staffers at a residential camp that borders El Paso and Teller counties.
At least four cases of the respiratory disease COVID-19 have been confirmed, officials said.
Another seven workers at Eagle Lake Overnight Camp are considered to have potential cases of COVID-19. And an additional 40 staffers were exposed to the disease, according to a news release.
“This is an unfortunate reminder that this pandemic is far from over,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy in a statement. “This virus spreads rapidly among groups of people, and that is why it’s so critical for everyone to remain vigilant and to follow safety precautions to minimize transmission.”
The report of the outbreak comes after local health officials in Boulder County announced earlier this week that more than 100 residents tested positive for COVID-19 in less than a week.
The state health department said it received reports of confirmed cases at Eagle Lake Overnight Camp on Thursday. The camp had about 150 staff members — all older than 18 — onsite for training to prepare for the camp’s opening.
As a result of the outbreak, the camp no longer will open this summer, the news release says. Eagle Lake is a Christian camp for children and teens.
A letter posted on the organization’s website says this is the first cancellation of its overnight summer camps in 63 years.
“Just as we received news that Governor Polis approved overnight camps, we also found out that one of our overnight staff members had Covid-19 symptoms,” the letter says. “This person soon tested positive for Covid-19, as did three other staff members. Several other staff are currently waiting on test results.
“This spread happened despite staff doing their best to self-quarantine before they came to camp, and despite our best, stringent efforts to maintain social distance, remain in family groups, wear masks, deep clean common areas, and more.”
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the outbreak would not affect the public health order allowing residential camps to operate during the global coronavirus pandemic.
“We believe that it is still safe for camps to operate if they comply with our current public health orders,” Herlihy said. “If we find that these eased restrictions are unable to prevent outbreaks, we will re-evaluate.”
Eagle Lake Overnight Camp is cooperating with the state’s outbreak investigation, according to state officials.
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