Camp Crystal session cut short after coronavirus outbreak impacts dozens of campers, staff

Camp Crystal Lake has ended its third summer session early due to a COVID-19 outbreak which has resulted in almost three dozen campers and staff being sent home.

The decision to end camp early was made Wednesday by Alachua County district officials, nurses and camp pediatrician after having sent home several people earlier in the week.

District spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said at least 23 campers and 10 staff members were sent home due to the outbreak prior to closing down.

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It's hard to say whether all those people had COVID-19, Johnson said Thursday. Some showed symptoms, but parents refused to allow camp officials to administer the COVID-19 test to find out.

"We know this is not the news many of you were hoping to hear, but at the of the day, we need to be able to provide the level of care that is best for our camp family," a post on Camp Crystal's Facebook page said. "We always say that we do not compromise safety here at Camp Crystal and this situation is no exception."

The camp planned to host its traditional closing ceremony at the end of the week, but parents and guardians were been instructed to check-in at the front gate, go to their child's cabin to gather their belongings and leave.

The camp will be offering pro-rated refunds for the last two days of camp, which should be processed in the coming weeks.

Camp Crystal still plans on having its fourth summer session starting July 19.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County's school district closes Camp Crystal early after COVID outbreak