2022 Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri COVID-19 Protocol

Troop Meeting and Volunteer-Led Activity Protocol

Overnights & Travel Permission for troops to travel resumed May 1, 2021. GSEM will continue to monitor the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as guidance from GSUSA and the CDC, and may modify this guidance and permitted activities as circumstances change. Troop travel must be approved by Council and will be approved on a case-by-case basis, considering several factors including health and safety guidance for both our area and the destination. To review what is required for troop travel approval, please visit GSEM’s Travel page. If your troop plans to travel, please submit a Troop Trip Application to Dan Sise, dsise@girlscoutsem.org , at least six months prior to your departure date if domestic or 18 months prior to your departure date if international. If your departure date is less than six months away and you have not yet submitted an application, please reach out to Dan immediately. If your troop plans to camp at a non-Council-owned site, please submit an Application for All Camping on Non-Council-Owned Sites to Senior Manager of Troop, Day and Outdoor Adventure Programs, Melissa Niedermann, mniedermann@girlscoutsem.org , at least one month prior to departure. For all overnights and travel, follow all guidance outlined in this document, with specific attention to the “Camp Protocol” chapter, which includes guidance for Initial and Continued Screening and Sleeping Arrangements that specifically apply to overnight and multi-day activities. If any guidelines at your stops/ destinations are more restrictive, follow the local restrictions. It is the responsibility of the trip leader to know what the local restrictions are at the troop’s stops and destinations. As always, participants must also follow all guidance in Safety Activity Checkpoints and continue to follow the Hygiene and COVID-19 Risk Mitigation, Transportation and group size guidance outlined in the most recent release of this document for the foreseeable future. A troop should not make any non-cancelable or non-refundable arrangements or payments for transportation, accommodations, activities, etc., until their trip receives final approval. Even after receiving approval from GSEM, contingencies for rescheduling or canceling, as well as knowledge of the cancelation and refund policies of the vendors the troop plans to utilize, should always be considered, recognizing that the risk posed by COVID-19 is fluid and may force a change in plans. Additionally, it is recommended that the trip leader clearly communicate with troop members any important dates or deadlines by which members are expected to make a firm commitment to the troop’s travel plans.

Recruitment Events and Activities See Maximum Capacity for Groups page 6 for current information as of 12.17.2021.

In-person recruitment events and activities will be permitted as long as guidelines for Troop Meeting Space, Troop Meeting Size, Cleaning Protocols and Hygiene and COVID-19 Risk Mitigation (as mentioned above) can be met. Get advance permission from the property owner or the jurisdiction that provides the location. Participants should follow all specific rules or guidelines of the in-person meeting location or host site. In some cases, restroom facilities may not be available. It is strongly encouraged to hold meetings and events outdoors whenever possible.

COVID-19 Response Guidelines 11