Girl Scout Safety Amid Coronavirus

Troop Meeting Spaces

Public buildings may not permit outside groups on premises yet or may require masks of all people.  Always confirm and follow the most stringent rules of the location.  Check with the owner or operator to determine capacity. (2-28-2022) 

Girl Scouts of Manitou Council Sites - If your Manitou Girl Scout troop is suddenly in need of a troop meeting site due to the intepretations of COVID-19 restrictions on public buildings and are in the area around Camp Manitou, Camp Evelyn or the Girl Scout Center, the Girl Scouts of Manitou Council is offering our troops the opportunity to use council buildings for troop meetings free of charge. Camp buildings are not open to the public and attendance at your troop meeting is by invitation only (8-20-2020 &10-7-2020.)

Camp buildings will be available for troop meeting use Sunday 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., and all through the week daily 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., to Friday at 3 p.m.

The Girl Scout Center will be available for troop meeting use from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. During the week day, when the Girl Scout Center is open to the public, the capacity for meeting at the Girl Scout Center is limited to 25 people.  During the evening and weekend, attendance in the building is by invitation only. No one should enter except those invited by your troop or by council staff or volunteers. (10-7-2020)

It is our hope to schedule troops for 1.5 hours per meeting, leaving a half hour between meetings to allow for social distancing and sanitizing. All safety and COVID-19-related guidelines must be followed in council buildings. We will be asking troop leaders to do basic sanitizing of buildings after each meeting to prepare for the next troop. 

Click here to request a Manitou Council site for your troop meeting.

Homes - If meeting in the home is the only option due to restrictions on public meeting spaces:

• The home must be the home of registered, background checked, council approved Volunteer.
• There must be at least two registered, unrelated, approved volunteers present at all times. 
• Girls may not meet in a home where a registered sex offender lives.
• The troop needs to be able to focus without disruptions from other household members.
• Animals should be kept in a place that is separate from the meeting space.
  
• The Homeowner should ask their Homeowner’s insurance carrier if there are any insurance exclusions regarding holding troop meetings at the home, in the event an accident or injury occurs. 
• Weapons must be completely out of view and stored in a locked space.
• Medication, dangerous cleaning products, or any poisonous substance must be stored in a secure space out of sight, preferably locked.
• Meetings should ideally be held outdoors, perhaps in the back or front yard of the home.
• While Girl Scout activities are taking place, entrance to the home must be by invitation only.  
• All guidance provided here is followed. (2-28-2022)

Hygiene and COVID-19 Risk Mitigation. Follow the resources developed by credible public health sources such as the CDC or your local public health department. Share these with girls and volunteers and ensure that they are practiced during meetings and activities. Place signs in the meeting or activity space to remind girls and volunteers to engage in everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Signs are available on the CDC website.  Signs should include:

• Stay home if you are sick.
• Cough and sneeze into a tissue, throw the tissue in the trash, and wash or sanitize your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use an FDA approved hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Wash hands if you do touch.

First Aid Supplies. Troop first aid supplies should include COVID-19 prevention items including FDA approved hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol), tissues, disposable facemasks, and disinfectants. Trash baskets or bags should be supplied for meeting and activity spaces, if not already available. Make sure that the trash baskets (or bags) are easily accessible for girls. 

Disinfectants and Disinfecting. Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched in your meeting site (i.e., table tops, markers, scissors, etc.). Use a household cleaner, or see the EPA’s list of effective cleaners approved for use against COVID-19. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentration, application method and contact time, etc.).

Household bleach is effective against COVID-19 for up to 24 hours when properly diluted. Check that the bleach is not expired and determine if it can be used on a given surface. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.

To prepare a bleach solution, mix:

• 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or
• 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

Virtual meetings The Volunteer Toolkit has expanded plans to make it easy to have both inperson and virtual meetings.   Girl Scouts at Home and The Troop Leader Blueprints on our website also have have fabulous resources, meeting plans, tips and other helps to make your virtual meetings successful and fun. 

Girl Scouts of the USA recommends maintaining a virtual to in-person ratio of at least 20/80, which means to maintain virtual troop meetings at least 20% of the time to keep tech skills and virtual meeting habits fresh.