GLEN JEAN, WV (WOAY) – We’ve had several people reach out to us concerned about the scout presence at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, especially with all of the COVID cases coming in related to travel.
Although it is not a jamboree year, troops will still come for various camps and conferences, and they have already started arriving for this summer, causing concern in the local community.
The Summit Bechtel Reserve released a statement on Wednesday about the extra precautions they will be taking this year.
“The precautions include:
- A five-day pre-arrival self-evaluation to screen for potential symptoms related to COVID-19
- A pre-arrival health and safety video briefing for participants
- Attendees are directed to minimize the number of stops they make while traveling to and from the facility and asked to pack meals from home for the ride to further minimize contact with anyone outside of their group
- Limiting group sizes to 25 people who are from the same area, have traveled together, will camp together, and will leave together
- All persons entering the SBR receive a temperature check before entry and every day while on the property
- Frequent deep cleaning and sanitization of camp facilities
- Updated meal procedures that minimize contact
- Hourly breaks for hand washing or hand sanitizing
- Integrated social distancing, including one-person tents spaced 10-feet apart
- A requirement that a face covering be worn for activities that do not allow for appropriate social distancing.”
In Wednesday’s press briefing, Governor Jim Justice said that the detailed precautions and the isolated property were the key factors in making the decision to allow the scouting season to happen.
“Many many many precautions they are assuring me that my people have assured me that the scouts and that they’re doing that on the property,” Governor Jim Justice said in Wednesday’s press briefing.
The Summit Bechtel Reserve statement also said that anyone who shows symptoms will be tested on-site and any person under investigation will be isolated with all of their group members until the test results are complete.
If any test were to come back positive, the entire group will remain in isolation until “immediate departure plans can be secured.”
There will also be specialized staff to do contact tracing and an investigation on-site.
“We’re watching that situation. The scouts are to stay on that property so that we don’t have individuals throughout the community, so we’re working hard at that,” DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch said in Wednesday’s briefing.
Stay with us for further updates.
