Summer camps return but with fewer campers and counselors

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Overnight summer camps will be allowed in all 50 states this season, but COVID-19 rules and a pandemic labor crunch mean that many fewer young campers will attend.

Those who do go will have to observe coronavirus precautions for the second consecutive year.

The Southeast is the first region to kick off camps this month, with other parts of the country to follow in July.

Many camps face competition for counselors in a tight job market.

Traditional recruitment tactics like job fairs on college campuses have been canceled. In a normal year, 26 million American kids go to camp.