Southwest Missouri camp closes one of its locations as positive COVID-19 cases soar

A Christian summer camp near Branson closed one of its sites after a recent coronavirus outbreak that affected campers, counselors and staff, the Stone County Health Department announced Monday.

At least 82 people from the Kanakuk K-2 Camp in Lampe, Missouri, which offers two- and four-week sessions for campers ages 13 to 18, have tested positive for COVID-19, the department said.

The site, one of Kanakuk Kamp’s eight camps, is currently shut down while the county health department and Kanakuk investigate the cases, according to the department.

“The decision to close has resulted in all campers, counselors and staff to return to their homes,” the department said. “SCHD will be working closely with Kanakuk Kamps to identify exposed individuals and quarantine those individuals, as necessary.”

Thirty-one of the positive coronavirus cases were confirmed at the camp.

The Christian camp offers sessions throughout the summer that bring in thousands of campers from around the country. Kanakuk Kamps laid out its health and safety procedures and protocols for all camps on its website.

The camp said on the website that Missouri Gov. Mike Parson reviewed and said he was impressed by the camp’s safety plans for the summer.

All campers and staff would fill out a pre-screening form and have their temperature checked upon arrival and daily. Kanakuk also asked campers to self-quarantine for two weeks before camp.

Masks would only be required during indoor activities and when social distancing would not be possible, in which case campers would wear one of two “face buffs” provided by the camp, according to the website.

Campers were also encouraged to distance themselves within cabins, sleep head to foot and wash hands or use hand sanitizer often, and campers with a fever would be isolated in on-site medical facilities, according to the plan. Cabins and other areas such as dining halls are sanitized daily, the site said, and medical-grade air filters were installed in each cabin.

Kanakuk did not respond to requests for comment and has not released a public statement on its website or social media. Other camp sites at Kanakuk are still open.

This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 5:08 PM.