Dr. Robert R. Redfield Statement on “Preventing and Mitigating SARS-CoV-2 Transmission — Four Overnight Camps, Maine, June–August 2020”

Today’s MMWR, which highlights the thoughtful and prudent public health practices used during overnight summer camps in Maine, reinforces how powerful everyday preventive actions are in reducing and keeping COVID-19 transmission low. Despite more than 1,000 campers and staff from nearly every state and 7 countries, only three people tested positive for COVID-19 during the camp and no additional campers or staff were known to be infected.  Using a combination of proven public health strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19, campers and staff were able to enjoy a traditional summer pastime amid a global pandemic.  As communities work together to get us back to where we used to be, it is essential that everyone – for their own good and that of their family’s – follow CDC and the federal government’s recommendations to protect against COVID-19.  This includes wearing masks, practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene, and staying home when you are sick.  I want to thank everyone who is already following this guidance, as well as encourage others to understand that their actions help others as much as they help them.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.