As of May 4, 2021, gatherings up to 35 may be held when the space
is appropriate and precautions are met:
Outdoor space is the best. If indoors, there is
appropriate space and ventilation/airflow (e.g., windows and doors
open) relative to the group size.
- Note, some spaces are not suitable for even the smallest
groups when the area is too small to allow for adequate spacing,
there is a lack of ventilation, or non-group members are too
close.
All other protocols must be rigorously followed.
Troop Meeting Space.
Using outdoor spaces with social distancing is strongly
recommended. Meetings
may not be held in fitness centers or gyms, where a greater risk for
contracting the virus may exist. Schools or churches may not allow
outside groups on-premises, so always check and confirm ahead of
time. Council facilities may begin to accommodate socially distanced
gatherings on a case-by-case basis.
Troop Meetings in the
home. In-home
meetings are not recommended out of concern that there would be a
greater risk of exposure to other family members. If meeting
indoors, ensure that there is appropriate space and
ventilation/airflow relative to the group size.
Troop Meeting Size. The
recommended maximum is 35 people (with the proper girl to volunteer
ratio).
Transportation. Public
transportation is not allowed to ensure social distancing. Individual parents drop-off
and pick-up their own girls from meetings/activities as much as possible.
As of March 1, carpooling
is permitted with appropriate precautions:
- Make sure parents are aware ahead of time if girls will be in
a car together.
- Always conduct the Council’s pre-screening process for all
participants.
- Girls and adults wear CDC-approved masks.
- Keep the car
window opened, at least partially, to circulate fresh air.
- Consider every participant and their family’s health situation
and comfortability before deciding to carpool. Make other
accommodations with families who have increased health risks and
concerns for their household.
- Sustained contact within less
than six (6) feet for longer than ten (10) minutes within an
enclosed area creates a high risk for virus transmission, so be
very careful with carpool decisions.
- Adults
should meet the girls at a designated location where parents can
drive up and drop-off/pick-up their Girl Scout. This ensures that
larger groups are not gathering to wait for troop
participants.
Virtual Meetings. GSUSA
recommends maintaining a virtual to in-person meeting ratio of at
least 20/80, which means holding virtual troop meetings at least 20%
of the time to keep tech skills and virtual meeting habits fresh. Use
the Safety Activity Checkpoints for Virtual Meetings, to guide your
meeting plans.
Day Trips and
Activities. In
conjunction with Safety Activity Checkpoints, follow the guidance
for Troop Meetings and hygiene and COVID-19 risk mitigation
guidance. Call ahead to the facility or vendor to confirm that they
are following CDC and state health department guidelines.
Travel and overnight stays permitted with appropriate
precautions. Including but not limited to:
- Consider every participant and their family’s health situation
and comfortability before making reservations. Make other
accommodations with families who have increased health risks and
concerns for their household.
- Conduct pre-screening and
daily health checks.
-
All attendees wear masks.
Participation in community parades is permitted with
appropriate precautions. Including:
- Family consent to participation
-
Pre-activity
symptom screening
- All participants meet in a
non-crowded place before parade staging
- All participants
wear appropriate masks/face coverings
- Ensure physical distancing (girls walk arm's length apart and at
least six feet from spectators)
- Limited interaction with
the public/audience (refrain from handing out materials, shaking
hands, and closely approaching the crowd)
- We recommend
Girl Scouts walk the route, instead of stand on a float together.
When considering riding a float, the space size needs to be
appropriate to the number of people including physical distancing
(for example, a standard trailer float may only allow space for 4-6
girls)
Download
the updated Phase One Protocols Guide for further details.
Troop
Leader Tips: COVID-19 Reopening – Phase One
As of May 4, the following decisions are in
effect:
