Their Summer Camp Tried to Be Safe. Kids Still Got Sick.

After three and a half months in lockdown with her two kids, ages 3 and 6, Hannah Lebovits was desperate to get the children out of the house and have some time for herself. “I’m behind on everything; my husband’s behind on everything. We just cannot keep up,” says Lebovits, who is getting ready to start a new job in the fall as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. When she considered sending her kids to day camp, safety was her main focus. While Lebovits was concerned that Texas was seeing record numbers of new cases in June, she was optimistic that the numbers in Collin County, where the Jewish day camp Gan Israel was located, were much lower than in nearby Dallas. And the camp seemed to be taking the threat of the virus seriously: It required masks on counselors and older kids, small group sizes and as much physical distancing wherever possible, temperature checks every day, no parents allowed on the property, mandatory packed lunches, limited activities inside, and screening counselors who came in from out of state. “We felt this camp would make all the right decisions, which I think they did,” says Lebovits.

Never miss a story from the Cut:
Subscribe now.

There’s a new astrology-based matchmaking app, Struck. But are Geminis welcome? No one will take responsibility for Hollywood’s hilariously embarrassing #ITakeResponsibility PSA. For Valentino’s charity efforts, Brad photographed Gwyneth … no, not that Brad, sadly. John Waters for Saint Laurent is just what we need right now. Happy tin anniversary, One Direction! Seriously, when will brands learn to stop marketing gendered product rip-offs to women?

Keep up with everything New York is talking about. Subscribe for $5/month to get unlimited access to the Cut, Vulture, Intelligencer, and Grub Street.

We value your feedback.
Send us a note at engage@nymag.com.