Campers Return to Reopened Campgrounds

COURT HOUSE – Christmas came early this year for campers who spend their summer in private residential campgrounds, in New Jersey, when the governor’s order reopening them took effect, in May. 
Closed, in March, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, campground owners said campers are following new safety and health precautions “respectfully,” as everyone gets accustomed to a “new normal.”
However, following and enforcing the new safety and health precautions are taking their toll, according to at least one campground owner, as the additional requirements add to an already full-time job.
“When the executive order finally came down that people could come to the campgrounds, it was like Christmas,” said Judy LaPorta, owner of Little Oaks Campground, in Court House. “Some families came right away, some not until the weekend, some it took weeks to come, and there still are some who have not returned, as of yet. Most of those have homes in Florida and have changed their arrival dates two and three times.
“The atmosphere on the campground has been ‘so glad to be back,’” she added. “We are seeing more campfires at night, more families engaging in bike riding, walking, visiting other campers at a distance, and dog walking. The kids are being kids. They were the ones that most expressed their happiness to be here.”
LaPorta’s sentiments were echoed by Cindy Swenk, who owns Whippoorwill Campgrounds, in Marmora, with her husband, Tom. “Everyone has been very respectful of the rules, and while I know we are not perfect, we are trying to follow everything,” she said. “The rules are for everyone’s safety, and we are grateful that we are able to be open. This is the new normal.”
Campgrounds Provide Outdoor Options
Campgrounds were closed, in March, when Gov. Phil Murphy put the state into a near-lockdown to fight the virus. Private campgrounds were allowed to reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend. The state Department of Environmental Protection announced that camping could begin in 12 state parks, forests, and recreation areas June 22.  
When Murphy issued Executive Order 148 (https://bit.ly/2ZgnWVK) reopening campgrounds, he cited the fact that they provide “popular outdoor lodging and recreation options during the summer months that allow for limited person-to-person contact and involve appropriate social distancing measures, and thus can also resume consistent with the state’s framework on outdoor recreation and the relative risks of COVID-19 transmission.” 
New rules include maintaining 6 feet social distancing if campers are not part of an immediate family and between camping units, electronic reservations to limit physical contact, limiting the use of equipment to one person at a time, wearing face masks, and enhanced infection control and sanitization practices. Some facilities, such as playgrounds and other amenities, remain closed.
Safety, Health Measures Cost of Doing Business Today
“Reservations across the state continue to be strong as campgrounds are open as much as they can be within all the restrictions,” said Joann DelVescio, executive director, New Jersey Campground Owners Association. “Campground owners know that all the products they are buying, such as UV lights, foggers, and personal protective equipment, are the cost of doing business today, but they are more than willing to do what’s needed.”
There are 96 privately owned campgrounds, in New Jersey, which are all members of the association. These include grounds where campers own their units and those whose grounds are for transient campers. 
Condo campgrounds are those where campers own the land where their camper is located. In New Jersey, residents are not allowed to live year-round in residential/transient campgrounds. Across Cape May County, there are 37 residential/transient campgrounds and nine condo campgrounds, according to DelVescio.
Most local campgrounds typically don’t open until April 1, and with a spring that saw “less than desirable camping weather,” the impact of being closed during April, and three weeks in May, could be offset by a strong season overall, according to DelVescio.
“The season is going better than expected,” DelVescio said, “so that’s a good sign. You’ve probably seen national stories about the increase in RV-buying, and we are seeing that, as well. People are buying their own self-contained unit and are more comfortable with their own unit. At the end of the season, we’ll see what the economic impact has been, but overall, the trend seems to be holding.”
Sanitizing Protocols, Policing ‘Exhausting’
Swenk, whose husband has owned the 288-site campground for 43 years, said, “We’ve never gone through something like this pandemic and its restrictions. Business is down, but still good. People want to be outside. We didn’t have great weather this spring, which worked to our advantage, I think. Who wants to camp in nasty weather?”
“We’ve been busy since we opened,” she added. “Because people are working from home still, we are busier than usual during the week. People are able to work from here because we have internet at our sites.”
“Business is up, but the amount of sanitizing protocols, policing for distancing and masks, and keeping logs of everything has become exhausting,” said LaPorta. Little Oaks Campground has 59 sites, of which 90% are seasonal. 
“Lots of normal tasks and office work are put either on hold or being done in the dark because keeping track and ensuring everyone is following the rules is time-consuming,” she added.
When a new camper or cabin renter arrives, LaPorta said she meets them fully masked with “lots of rules, guidelines, and protocols. Now, with it being as hot as it has been, wearing a mask shortens your ‘umpf’ for the day really quickly. COVID-19 signage is all over the campground, and I do not hesitate to remind folks of the necessity of distancing, and if you can’t stay 6 feet away continually, then put on a mask.”
Some Aspects Not Open
All units on LaPorta’s campground, except the cabins, are self-contained. “I have not opened the bathhouses to the general population,” she said. “I just opened two of my cabin rentals this July 4 weekend. I gave up all of the April, May, and June rentals.”
The cabins do not have bathrooms, so LaPorta assigned one bathhouse to one cabin and the other to the second cabin. “I changed the locks, so they each have different locks, and the keys are given to the campers, along with the keys to the cabin,” she said.
The cleaning of cabins consists of running an ionizer for at least four hours after the guests leave, with at least 24-48 hours between rentals, she said. “Then, all surfaces, including the mattresses and floors, are cleaned with a bleach solution followed by a fogging of an approved CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)-grade solution. The bathhouses are also cleaned with bleach, followed by a heavy fogging,” she added.
LaPorta said the use of the laundromat is by appointment only, and all touchable surfaces are cleaned with a CDC-approved sanitizer.
“The playground remains closed since I am not sure exactly what we should be doing,” she said. “The kids do not seem to miss it at all.”
Only one-third of the pavilion is open, and there are no chairs to sit at the tables, so “everyone just passes by. We have no store, but sell ice and ice cream,” LaPorta said. “Payment is by the honor system. It is limited to one person at a time, and all touch surfaces are wiped off probably 10 times a day.”
Their pool is restricted to 25 people at a time, and all the chairs, tables, and umbrellas were removed. “No toys, noodles, or floats are allowed,” LaPorta said. “People must bring their own chairs. We sanitize all touchable areas every hour.”
As a result, storage space at Little Oaks is at a premium, according to its owner. “We have had to remove every bench, chair, and table to avoid people sitting together or to eliminate touchable surfaces,” she explained.
Swenk said they opened their pool for the Fourth of July weekend, and everyone’s temperature is taken before they are allowed to enter. “We have a small store, but must limit the number of people who can enter it. This is the new normal, but our first priority is the safety of our staff and campers. Luckily, we’ve not had any sickness, so we are grateful to be reopened,” she said.
No Indoor Activities
No indoor activities are happening at Whippoorwill, according to Swenk, who said activity has been limited to pool games. “We have the kids painting rocks and placing them around the campground, like a scavenger hunt, which has been fun,” she noted.
LaPorta said she “nixed” the entire activity schedule and now “plays it by ear. I try and come up with activities that keep everyone distancing and engaged,” LaPorta said. “More activities are taking place in the open fields. It requires more creativity on my part.”
In June, she sponsored a Celebration Night to celebrate graduations, anniversaries, birthdays and any other event campers wanted to acknowledge.
“Folks decorated their golf carts, cars, bikes and wagons as we paraded through the campground, with everyone from pre-school to college graduates in caps and gowns,” she said. “We had a DJ who played dedicated songs and announced each person we were celebrating. It was a very touching event. We served punch and cookies. Each cookie was in a plastic bag and all beverages were poured and handed to our campers by folks wearing masks and gloves.”
As LaPorta reflected on all the changes, she remarked, “The words never heard before around the campground are pod, non-pod, washie-washie, 6 feet, mask, protocols and sanitizing. For myself and my employees, our clothes are spotted from bleach and our hands smell like sanitizer, but we have some of the neatest masks that our campers have given us.
“The Little Oaks campers have been incredible during these most trying times,” she added. “For all that we are all going through, I am a very blessed campground owner.”
Campground Opened Early for Local Families
When LaPorta found out campgrounds were not allowed to open earlier this year, she said she and several other campground owners made “many attempts to bring essential Cape May County-employed families into our campground. These families have campers or park models in the campgrounds, where they stay during the camping season, and they stay in winter rentals on the islands.
“All had been in Cape May County continuously for more than six months, but needed to leave their winter rentals and get into their units. Ultimately, after four weeks of letter writing, emails, and phone calls, we got the OK to move those families into the campground. For my campground, it was three families. All of them were in rentals that were less than 15 miles from the campground.”
Canadian Campers? Up in the Air
One major group that campgrounds may not see this year is the influx of Canadians. The border between the U.S. and Canada is closed until July 21 for non-essential travel. The restrictions were extended in April and May.
Also, New Jersey is advising people to quarantine for 14 days if traveling from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. The list is updated weekly and will include states that have a positive COVID-19 test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or have a 10% or higher positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average.
“Most of our campers are from a 60-100 mile radius,” Swenk said, “and mostly out of the Philadelphia area. We will have to wait and see what happens with Canada; if they are not allowed to travel, we will refund reservations. We’re taking things week by week.”
Campers Urged to ‘Follow the Guidelines’
In the meantime, Swenk and LaPorta said campground owners are “learning and reacting on the fly” to all the new rules, so they urge campers to “follow the guidelines.”
“What campers need to know is that none of this is something we created or even want to go through,” LaPorta said. “We are doing tasks that are not even remotely familiar to us. We have been the best resource, support, and cheerleaders for each other. Joann (DelVescio) has represented our interest and the interest of our campers to every leader or official and continues to give us up-to-the-minute news, fields any issues, checks on us daily, and keeps our spirit from being broken.
“Many thanks to her and to our campers who get it because there are campers who just do not get it,” she continued.
“By this point, if you don’t know what to do, you’ve been living under a rock,” added Swenk. “Camping affords you to be outside, at a distance. You can be close to our beaches, stay apart from others, and enjoy outdoor activities. It’s a great way to vacation, and you don’t have to fly.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.