In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance

5/28/2021: Girl Scouts River Valleys has updated our In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance after reviewing the most recent COVID-19 guidance from the Center for Disease Control, the Minnesota Department of Health, and American Camping Association. Much of the guidance has been relaxed, however for the safety of our Girl Scouts, volunteers, and families, and due to the wide range of communities Girl Scouts River Valleys serves, some of the guidance remains firmer than current federal or state requirements.

Requirements for outdoor group size, outdoor masking, and sharing/sanitization of supplies and surfaces have been relaxed. Indoor size limits remain at 25 people.

Please see email to volunteers for a summary of the changes.

This new guidance is considered “summer guidance,” and may be relaxed further in the coming months and into the fall if circumstances of the pandemic continue to improve. As always, if you are more comfortable with smaller group sizes and additional masking, troop leaders and volunteer-led day camp, event, and activity planners are welcome to use previous requirements as a guide. We ask that participating girls and families respect those plans.

Download Full In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance
Download the full In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance translated to Spanish, Hmong, and Somali.

Group Size

• Indoor meetings, events, and activities run by volunteers (troops, service units, other Girl Scout groups), are limited to a maximum of 25 people per group/pod (including adults and facilitators) with at least three feet of social distancing, and participants must wear masks.  
• Outdoor meetings, events, and activities do not have a limit, however—any time more than 25 people gather together in a space, when groups/pods combine for an activity, or when at least 3 feet of social distancing cannot be consistently maintained, everyone is required to wear a mask. Groups/pods of 25 people or less are not required to wear masks outdoors, unless combining with other groups/pods. See Face Coverings section for more details. In outdoor groups of any size, participants should maintain at least 3 feet of social distancing. 
• Visit COVID News & Updates for up-to-date announcements based on state mandates.

Troop Meetings and Activities

• Having meetings and activities in outdoor spaces where 3-6 feet of social distancing can be maintained is recommended.
• Indoor meetings and activities are allowed, following all Girl Scouts River Valleys group size and masking requirements.
• Participating in parades and festivals is allowed, following all group size and masking requirements, and maintaining social distancing of at least 3 feet from members of your group and others. If social distancing outdoors cannot be maintained, masks must be worn.
• Meeting in private homes is not recommended.
• Don’t assume the space has been cleaned and sanitized—come prepared.

Overnights

• Outdoor/tent overnights are allowed, but for individual troops only, with one household per tent.
• Overnights are not allowed for larger events run by volunteers (day camps, encampments, program events).
• No indoor overnights allowed except as a council-approved, multi-night travel trip.

Face Coverings

• Masks are required any time you are indoors. 
• Masks are not required outside, unless social distancing of at least three feet cannot be maintained or in a group larger than 25 people. 
• For large volunteer-led activities/camps/events (more than 25 people), masks are required outside when groups/pods combine and duration of exposure is increased, such as flag ceremonies, campfires, or all-camp games. Masks are not required if groups/pods are just passing between activities. 
• Masks must be worn while cooking or washing dishes (cooking is allowed for individual troop overnights only). 
• Carpooling with people outside your household is not recommended, but if it is necessary, all girls and adults must wear masks inside the vehicle. 
• Masks are required while on buses or other mass transit. 
• * Some girls or volunteers may not be able to wear masks due to medical conditions. In addition, participants/children should only wear cloth face coverings if they can reliably wear, remove, and handle the cloth face covering throughout their in-person activity. 
• * Exempted activities where masks may be temporarily removed include eating, sleeping, or participating in swimming or other waterfront activities where wearing a mask would be dangerous.
• * Some participants may choose to continue to wear masks even when it is not required. Please respect the personal safety choices of others when leading or participating in in-person activities. 

Food

• For troop meetings and troop activities, food can be brought from home or limited to pre-packaged, individual serving size food which can be safety distributed without cross contamination.
• Troops are allowed to prepare meals outdoors while overnight camping, following CDC and MN Department of Health guidance. 
• For larger events run by volunteers (day camps, encampments, program events), participants must bring their own food. Event planners may not provide food or have any shared food/cooking. Catering is allowed, as long as meals are prepared, delivered, and served by a commercial kitchen and individually packaged.

Personal Contact

• Hugs, handshakes, “high-fives,” and even activities like the friendship circle or squeeze can transmit COVID-19 from person to person. Refrain from these gestures for the time being. Create a safe way for girls and volunteers to greet and end meetings instead.
• Singing and shouting both spread germs farther than talking. Make sure girls and adults are all wearing masks when indoors and are maintaining social distancing outdoors.

Reporting & Contact Tracing

• If you receive a report of exposure (confirmed or possible), a positive test, or someone waiting on test results, download the full In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance for details around reporting to council staff.
• Don’t contact parents or troop members yourself, Girl Scouts River Valleys staff will notify parents and others about a COVID-19 report.
• The affected person’s identity will remain confidential.

Health Screening

• Before attending an in-person meeting or activity, everyone should go through a Health Screening Checklist and take their temperature.
• Anyone with a fever or temperature higher than 100.4 degrees should skip in-person gatherings until their temperature is normal, without fever-reducing medication, for more than 48 hours.

 

Any time you are in a gathering with other people, you are putting yourself and others at risk of exposure to COVID-19 which can lead to serious medical conditions and even death for people of all ages. We cannot predict who will become severely ill, although we know that older people and those with underlying health conditions are at higher risk. We do not yet know what the long-term effects of COVID-19 are; even people with mild cases may experience long-term complications. People with and without symptoms can spread COVID-19. The masking, distancing, and other guidance provided here is intended to reduce the risk of transmission but does not eliminate it.

 

FAQs

In-Person Adapted Troop Meeting Plans

 

Resources

• [UPDATED 5/28/21] In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance – English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali – Read this document in full before planning an in-person gathering.
• [UPDATED 5/28/21] In-Person Girl Scout Activity Guidance One-Page Resource – Review this easy-to-read infographic as guidance when planning a COVID-resilient in-person Girl Scout activity.
• Health Screening Checklist – For families to use prior to gathering.
• [UPDATED 5/28/21] COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Template
• [UPDATED 5/28/21] COVID-19 Family Agreement – English , Spanish, Hmong, Somali  – For families to look over and sign prior to participating in any in-person troop or group Girl Scout activities.
• First Meeting Plan – For volunteers to use as guidance when planning their in-person meeting.
• [UPDATED 5/28/21] Meeting Space Signage – Use at troop meetings or gatherings to remind girls and volunteers of everyday preventative actions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
• Fabric Mask Tutorial – A helpful tutorial created by a Girl Scout volunteer for making fabric masks.