RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – There are new guidelines for gatherings in Mississippi due to an increase in COVID-19 cases from the Delta variant. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reported outbreaks at social events, funerals, schools and summer camps.
Many camps in the state are open at full capacity this summer, including one at the Reservoir YMCA in Rankin County.
“We have a little over 200 kids this summer. Last summer, we had about 50, so we’ve got a lot more activities. We’re doing canoeing on the lake. We have the pool every day. We do archery. We have a zipline. All these things we were not able to do last year because of COVID,” said Tom Bontrager, executive director of the Reservoir YMCA.
He said it’s not mandatory for staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but he strongly suggests it.
Parker Sinclair is one of the lead councilors at the Reservoir YMCA. He said there are extensive measures in place for staff to follow in order to maintain a clean facility.
“We have excessive cleaning protocols. We try to keep the cleaning away from the kids, but we are constantly cleaning. The kids are separated. We have everybody pretty divided,” he said.
