News and Views

 

BWC RCM COVID-19 Reentry Protocols

The Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church (BWC) Retreat and Camping Ministries (RCM), doing business as Camp Harmison, Manidokan Camp and Retreat Center, and The West River Center have established the following policies and procedures pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These policies and procedures apply to groups with participants who do not normally reside together and would be using indoor meeting or sleeping accommodations. Outdoor events, and those with only participants who do normally reside together, will follow a different set of policies and procedures.

Event Gating Criteria

In order to best protect group participants, RCM staff, and our communities the following criteria must be met for an event to be held:

1. Seven days prior to the start of a scheduled event, the counties of all participants, staff, AND the county in which the event is to be held will be checked for both the stage of reopening AND the number of positive cases per 100,000 people.
   1. The counties must be in stage 3 of reopening as indicated on the Maryland Roadmap to Recovery website (https://governor.maryland.gov/recovery/). If participants are coming from an area outside of Maryland, an equivalent local reopening measure will be used.
   2. The counties must also be in the “green” risk level according to the Harvard Global Health Institute (https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/).
2. Changes in local health directives at any point may still result in modifications or even cancelation of the event.

*The counties for our sites are:

                Camp Harmison: Morgan County, West Virginia

                Manidokan Camp and Retreat Center: Washington County, Maryland

                The West River Center: Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Contact Tracing Information

No later than 14 days prior to your event, the group leader must complete the “Contact Tracing Information” form and return it to Amy Marshall at This form will include the contact information for all participants and will be used to identify counties to verify the gating criteria for the event and for contact tracing purposes should a positive case of COVID-19 be reported. The gating criteria will be checked 7 days prior to the start of your event.

Participant Health Screening and Waiver

The health screening questions and site policies will be shared with the group leader prior to the event and we strongly encourage the group leader share this information with each participant so they can selectively choose not to participate if they do not believe they can meet the requirements of the health screening or site policies prior to arriving on site.

Upon arrival, the group leader must collect a “Participant Health Screening & Waiver” form for each participant as they arrive. These forms will be kept confidential and reviewed only by the group leader, site host, and RCM Administrator. If anyone indicates any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, they must immediately leave the site and the group leader must immediately notify the site host.

It is the group leader’s responsibility to check in with each participant every morning to monitor for changes in participant health. If any participant develops any of the signs of symptoms of COVID-19 they will immediately be isolated from the group to a designated quarantine area on site and return home as soon as possible. The group leader must also notify the site host of any changes in participant health.  Any care of the ill person should be provided only by someone wearing personal protective gear including: N95 mask, gloves, face shield, and gown.

RCM Cleaning procedures

RCM staff will take the following enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures:

• There will be 72 hours between the end of one group using a sleeping facility and the start of the next group using that same facility.
• Bathrooms, bedrooms, meeting rooms, and high touch surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected with EPA approved cleaners between events.
• While your group is on-site, all common spaces and bathrooms accessible to more than one group will be cleaned three times per day and between assigned group usage.
• Cleaning records will be viewable in each building.
• Your group leader will be given disinfectant and instructions so you can do additional cleanings of high touch surfaces within your group’s facility.
• Meal service will be altered to provide sufficient physical distancing between participants and groups (spacing or eating in shifts) or served in your meeting space. The dining hall will be cleaned and disinfected between each meal service.
• Site activities such as high ropes, boating, archery, etc., will follow COVID-19 operational and cleaning guidelines developed by the corresponding industry leaders/associations.

RCM Capacities

Facility capacities will be restricted to the maximum number of people who can occupy your designated sleeping and meeting accommodations while maintaining 6-foot physical distancing.  See the accompanying chart for details on each specific facility.  Group size may also be limited by state or local restrictions.

On-Site Logistics and Requirements

• Masks must be worn in any indoor shared space (such as the dining hall, except when eating) and whenever interacting with any person not in your group. Masks are strongly recommended when in your group’s assigned meeting area if physical distancing cannot be maintained.
• Hand sanitizer will be located at each building entrance. Guests must use hand sanitizer when entering and leaving a building.
• Groups may check out recreational equipment (balls, frisbees, etc.) upon arrival and will keep them for the duration of their event. You may also bring your own recreational equipment.
• No visitors will be allowed.
• Groups must only use their assigned facilities.
• Alert staff if a shared space looks dirty.
• If your group is using a shower facility outside your building, a shower schedule will need to be provided to the site staff to coordinate usage and cleaning.
• Groups violating COVID-19 safety policies and procedures will be asked to leave.
• The group leader shall ensure each participant has a mask (ideally one mask for each day of your event).

Additional Group Recommendations

• Only people assigned to a specific bedroom are allowed to be in that bedroom. No one should be entering someone else’s bedroom.
• Limit or avoid sharing items including but not limited to: food, cups, blankets, clothes, headphones, etc.
• Limit bringing non-essential items to the event.
• Use personal storage spaces in rooms and limit the sharing of any items between people.
• Room family members or guests who live together in the same bedroom.

Learn more about Retreat and Camping Ministries