TOLEDO, Ohio — There are questions about exactly who is allowed to camp at campgrounds in Ohio after Gov. Mike DeWine discussed why some campgrounds are open and others remain closed.
According to the governor's 'Safe at Home' order that went into effect on May 1, campgrounds in Ohio were included on the list of places that are to remain closed.
Those include campgrounds, RV parks, recreational camps and cabins because they fall under the "public amusement" category. Within the order, there are some exceptions for people who live in RVs or have seasonal leases.
"If you have a leased situation where you have a year-round campsite and things like that and you have a facility there, those are allowed under this order to go back into place. That was one of the things, frankly, one of the things we heard from a lot of legislators and other things" Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.
That has many of you questioning the difference between permanent or seasonal camping and recreational camping.
To put it simply, the people who are permanent and seasonal rely on their RV or camper more than weekend campers and they usually do not have as many people in their group coming to campsites.
The biggest thing in reopening is trying to avoid large gatherings and practice safe social distancing.
"It would seem to me that social distancing is fairly easy to achieve there. So I'm optimistic about the ability for people to be able to do that,
Gov. Mike DeWine said.
As for when recreational campers can go back, both the governor and lieutenant governor say they understand that summer is coming. They have a task force creating best practices and they hope to announce them in the next several weeks.
There are some campgrounds that currently have "park closed" signs, while others are already open under certain circumstances.
In Swanton, Big Sandy Campground usually opens for seasonal holders in April. Right now, only folks who live there are allowed in.
Manager Cheri Palko says this closure from the pandemic has set them back by about 21 days. However, she added being closed has allowed them to make sure everything is ready to go when they open on May 14.
She says they've already made changes to keep everyone safe and will continue with their restrictions once they open.
"We had to secure our campground a little bit differently. We had more people coming out wanting to camp, so initially we had to secure the perimeter. Just because we weren't able to offer the services and people really were anxious to get out there," Palko said.
The site is also not opening their restrooms, office or store at this time. And only one person will be allowed into the cashier's room at a time.
So far, she says the biggest challenge they're facing is people who are want to make reservations but can't because the current governor's orders don't allow recreational camping.
Here is Ohio's Safe at Home order if you'd like to read the full document.
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