Winter Witchcamp Illness and Care Policy

Crafted by a small group of community members and approved in October 2025 at a Winter Witchcamp Broader Community Meeting. Will evolve as needed.

An anatomically-shaped heart, with embedded beehive cells, and bees flying and working. Art by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

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Winter Witchcamp Illness and Care Policy

Pre-Camp Conduct for Infection Prevention

We continue to live in a world where COVID and other infectious diseases continue to impact our selves and our beloveds.

The following guidelines are the steps our community agrees to take to hold each other accountable and support making camp more accessible to the widest range of folks.

Two Weeks Before Camp – “Lay low before you go”

  • For the two weeks before Camp, when possible, please avoid attending large gatherings beyond those necessary.
  • If you must attend a large indoor gathering, please wear an N95 or KN95 mask the whole time as able.

Hand Hygiene: Frequent hand washing, before, during and after camp, is the best infection control measure.

Vaccination: We encourage taking whatever seasonal vaccinations are available to you and recommended by healthcare professionals, within 6 months of camp – including Covid, flu and pneumonia.

Risk Based Decision Making

  • These practices and ideas stem from our commitment to community care. Following these guidelines is part of our responsibility to community and one another, and help make events like this accessible to as many as possible.
  • Assessment of risk is a uniquely individual undertaking, and we honor everyone’s bodily autonomy and decision-making process. Determination of personal health risk is best done in consultation with your health care team.

“To care, and be cared for, to receive and to give. To care and be cared for is how we live.” — Bouquet (Galen) Sunshine, The Care Magic Pentacle

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Winter Witchcamp Illness and Care Policy

Coming to Camp

As a part of community care, we all need to be mindful of the impact of spreading any infectious disease amongst us, particularly for our more vulnerable beloveds (young, elderly, immune compromised).

Commitment to safer practices and accountability around spreadable illness is part of the agreements of registration.

Masking

  • Everyone aged 5 and older will be asked to wear a N95 or KN95 mask upon arrival until they test negative for COVID.
  • Anyone experiencing symptoms of spreadable illness will be asked to mask and quarantine until they leave.
  • If there is a large outbreak, all of camp may be asked to mask.
  • You are welcome to mask more than this based on preference and your own risk assessment.

Testing Prior to Camp

  • We ask you to take a Covid 19 test 2 days before camp, and another 8 hours before. If you test positive, do not come to camp.
  • When you arrive, wear a K/N95 mask and take the test administered by organizers. Everyone will stay masked until they test negative.
  • If you test positive, you will be asked to go / stay home with the option to attend virtually.
  • Anomalies in tests will be addressed by the Illness and Care Policy Committee on a case by case basis.

Quarantine at Camp / Leaving

  • If you begin to feel ill at camp, experiencing any new symptoms of a cough, body aches, fever, chills, sore throat, sinus congestion, changes in taste or smell, and/or GI symptoms you must agree to quarantine until you can leave for home.
  • If you do not feel well at any point (in ways that are novel / not chronic to you), you agree to inform the medical team, test for COVID and isolate or leave for home immediately. If you do test positive we will ask you to isolate immediately and leave.

Do NOT come to camp in person if you are experiencing any symptoms of communicable illness.

The decision to stay home or leave camp is an act of care for the community.

Notes:

  • You will notice there is language about camp-provided tests. We are
    hopeful for and planning to get a batch testing unit for COVID, using the
    PlusLife system. There may be follow-up asks for funding and acquisition of
    this.
  • We are discussing what quarantine may look like. While we hopefully will
    not have to implement it, there will be a designated space to convert for
    this purpose if the need arises.