Broward summer camp suspended after five confirmed coronavirus cases

Devoun Cetoute, Carli Teproff
·2 min read

The David Posnack Jewish Community Center Upper Camp has been suspended after camp officials learned a camper had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the camp notified parents Wednesday in an email.

This comes one day after a counselor also tested positive. This is the fifth confirmed case of the virus at the Broward community center, which is based in Davie. Last week, the center’s preschool camp was suspended after two staffers and a camper tested positive.

On Wednesday, the center confirmed a camper at the upper camp had tested positive but did not release any information on the camper’s age or name. On Tuesday, camp officials confirmed that a counselor of the upper camp had tested positive. The counselor who tested positive was the counselor for the child who tested positive.

In a letter to parents, camp officials said the counselor and camper were either asymptomatic or experienced mild symptoms. Camp leaders decided to suspend the upper camp after speaking to the Florida Department of Health.

“This was a difficult decision,” the center said in the letter. “Our mission this summer was to provide a fun and safe outlet for DPJCC campers and support our member families. It was wonderful to see the children enjoying themselves, capped off with today’s Hawaiian celebration. We’re so disappointed that we cannot continue, for now.”

There are three separate camps that operate out of the JCC, which is located at 5850 S. Pine Island Road in Davie. They are the preschool camp; upper camp for children and teens; and a camp for children and adults with special needs. The center says the camp for special needs will remain open because it operates in a separate wing.

The camp had opened on June 15 with various safety measures in place. These measures included splitting the approximately 200 at upper camp into groups of 10 with two counselors. Each group was assigned a room and activities outside of it were limited.

On June 9, the center learned a preschool teacher tested positive for the virus and then on June 17 the center learned a counselor and camper in the preschool camp had tested positive as well. The preschool camp was suspended, but camp continued for the older children. The center plans on opening the preschool camp on July 6.