Civil Air Patrol encampment ends early as five test positive for COVID-19

RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota’s Civil Air Patrol youth encampment, a week-long training program hosted at Camp Rapid, has ended early after five participants tested positive for COVID-19.

The five that tested positive were all under the age of 20 and had been sleeping as a cohort in the same dorm bay.

“We are deeply concerned about the cadets who tested positive and will be following up with every attendee to monitor health status during the recommended quarantine period,” said Col. Nick Gengler, commander of CAP’s South Dakota Wing. “While this scenario is unfortunate, the outcome of the encampment represents a success because our COVID-19 contingency plan worked effectively by quickly identifying the potential cases, isolating the cadets and taking steps to prevent further spread of the virus.”

155 participants – both youth and adult – attended the encampment from 16 states. All were required to declare that they had either been fully vaccinated, tested negative for COVID three days before arriving, had self-quarantined for 14 days prior to arriving, or had a physician’s note saying they had fully recovered from a prior COVID infection.

The encampment ended a day early as COVID plans were executed. The five cadets who tested positive were immediately isolated and returned home.