COVID-19

*UPDATED Thurs. April 15, 2021* Troops need to follow current local guidance from their county and the Ohio Department of Health regarding group gatherings. Currently, we are strongly encouraging that troops in Franklin Co. cancel or reschedule their in-person events until the purple dashboard status is removed.

Troop Waiver for Membership Year 2020 - 2021: This waiver should be signed by current troop volunteers and girls. Troop leaders should store with their troop health forms for the year. 

• ALL troop volunteers and parents who participate in meetings/troop events must sign this for themselves.
• ALL troop members must be submit a waiver, either with their parent/volunteer or by themselves. (unless they do not plan to meet in person at all) 
• This only covers troop activities (meetings, outings, etc.) and not council or service unit sponsored events.
• Field trips will still need a separate permission slip.

The following troop meeting guidelines are based on measures shared by the State of Ohio as part of Responsible Restart Ohio and are subject to change if state or local conditions change. In addition to the protocols below, all Girl Scout policies and procedures must be followed, including Safety Activity Checkpoints when applicable. Troop leaders and families should thoughtfully discuss if they are ready to meet in person. Caregivers who are not ready to meet should be provided a way to stay connected to the troop.

In-person troop meetings are not required. Each troop/family should weigh their participation based on their own health concerns and tolerance for risk. Members and troops who prefer to continue with virtual meetings and activities may continue to do so. Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland will not penalize any girls or volunteers who are unwilling or unable to meet in person.   

Use these questions and reminders to help decide how and when to return to troop activities.

Troop Meeting Space. Outdoor spaces where social distancing can be maintained are strongly recommended for meetings. Get advance permission from the property owner or the jurisdiction that provides the location.

For meetings held at public facilities, contact the facility ahead of time and ask:

• Is the space cleaned, and touch surfaces (i.e., tabletops, light switches, chairs, etc.) sanitized, at least daily?
• Who else uses the space (how often, what size is the group)? Is the space cleaned between groups?
• What type of faucets/soap dispensers are available in the restroom (sensory or manual)?

Then, consider whether you can supplement any practices that are less ideal. For example, if you will arrive after another user group, plan to bring sanitizing wipes to get the space ready for your troop. Another example: if faucets are manual, take some time to show girls how to shut them off with a paper towel. Use paper towels for doorknobs whenever possible.

• Outdoor spaces where social distancing can be maintained are strongly recommended for meetings when weather permits.
• Girls should limit items brought from home and no personal items should be shared.

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 permit outside groups on premises, so always check and confirm ahead of time.

Troop Meetings in the home. GSUSA strongly suggests no meetings in the home out of concern that there would be greater risk of exposure to other family members. The recommendation is to stay away from in-home meetings for the time being.

Troop Meeting Size. The current suggested maximum is 10 people (eight girls and two unrelated adult volunteers). However, check your local restrictions for small gatherings. If more restrictive, follow the local restriction. Restrictions vary greatly from state to state, county to county, and even from town to town – and frequently change. If a state allows more than 10 to gather, utilize all social distancing practices and follow all preventative guidance.

• Six-foot social distance between individuals must be adhered to.
• If anyone is exhibiting symptoms prior to the meeting, they should not attend.
• Attendees must wash their hands when arriving and before leaving. If a handwashing station is not available, hand sanitizer is required.
• Troops should follow the no touch rule. No friendship squeeze, high-fives, handshakes, or any other physical contact.
• No shared water coolers or shared drinking stations.
• Serve only prepackaged food.
• Immediately isolate and seek medical care for any individual who develops symptoms while at the meeting/activity.

If you have a troop larger than 10, stay connected while you wait for a safe time for everyone to gather. Large troops are wonderful, so stay together! Some ideas:

• Host virtual troop meetings (see below).
• Gather up in smaller groups — such as age-level groups, patrols, or groups of girls with a particular badge they’d like to work on.
• Groups can rotate stations with adults present, while sanitizing between groups and limiting shared surfaces – tools, surfaces and supplies, etc.

If an attendee tests positive or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 after the meeting, the troop leader should notify council. GSOH will take care of notifying all attendees of the event without divulging the identity of the affected person.

Transportation. Individual parents drop off and pick up their own girls from meetings. Carpooling and public transportation should be avoided, where possible, to maintain social distancing.

Virtual meetings. Meeting options may need to be flexible based on the fluid nature of COVID-19 risk. Troops that are able to run online meetings as needed (or wanted) should do so. GSUSA 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. Use the Safety Activity Checkpoints for Virtual Meetings, to guide your meeting plans: Virtual Troop Meetings.