Working Together to Keep Our Girl Scout Community Safe

The safety and welfare of our members is top priority for Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines. We are continuing to closely monitor the COVID-19  updates from the Centers for Disease Control, North Carolina Health Department, and the local public health departments. 

Safety protocols can change rapidly. Keeping the best interest of our members in mind, GS-NCCP continues to monitor guidance on an ongoing basis and will make additional changes as appropriate.

GS-NCCP In-Person Meeting Guidelines

While there are no group size restrictions*, it is recommended to keep small group sizes for in-person activities and to hold activities outdoors whenever possible. *Note: Some GS-NCCP program and camp opportunities may continue to have smaller group sizes to allow for program quality, physical distancing, facility capacity, and staffing.

During the in-person activities, participants should maintain a physical distancing of 3 feet between members of different households.

Masks are highly recommended when indoors, especially when unable to physical distance more than three feet with people from different households. For in-person Girl Scout activities, members may follow the most current COVID-19 guidelines set in place by their local school systems and municipalities. When participating in in-person activities outside of your local community, you should follow the guidelines in place where the activity occurs. Additionally, members are expected to follow any location-specific protocols, including masks, physical distancing, etc. for in-person activities. This could also include specific Girl Scout activities and events where group leaders and event coordinators require masks based on the nature of the event and the activities, venue, space availability, etc. In order to continue to encourage a safe and healthy environment for all Girl Scouts, if you are feeling sick, please stay home and get well soon.

Hand hygiene, cleanliness, sanitizing, and reduction of shared supplies are recommended. Before preparing or eating food, have all girl members wash or sanitize their hands.

In addition to or if stricter than these guidelines, participants should follow any specific rules of the in-person activity location.

Updated Forms

Troop and Group Meeting Information

Pre-Screening, Permissions & Reports

If a girl, parent/caregiver, or volunteer is showing any new or worsening signs or symptoms of possible COVID-19, has been in close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19 within the past 5 days, is awaiting COVID-19 test results, or has tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 5 days, they are not permitted to attend in-person activities. If any of these things have occurred within the past 5 days, please follow the latest CDC guidance.

While not required, volunteers, troop leaders, and event coordinators may choose to request the completion of the GS-NCCP COVID-19 Pre-Screening Form and GS-NCCP Sign in and Ackowledgement for In-Person Meetings before a volunteer-led in-person activity or upon arrival. These responses should be kept for 30 days after the activity, along with a roster of everyone who attended. Volunteers may collect the pre-screening form information through email or an online survey using the same language on the form. Potential attendees who answer yes to any of the questions should not attend the in-person Girl Scout activity.

Attendees at GS-NCCP staff-led activities will go through the pre-screening form upon arrival to the activity.

Additional Forms that are in place the 2021-2022 Membership Year are:

COVID 19 Positive Test Results

In the event that someone who has attended an in-person Girl Scout activity within the past 5 days tests positive for COVID-19, they should refrain from participation in in-person activities until no longer in isolation. They should make their troop leader (or appropriate activity coordinator) aware who can then in turn provide notification utilizing appropriate confidentiality to potentially exposed individuals as feasible in order for them to assess their exposure risk based on their own personal situation and receive appropriate public health guidance, testing, and/or resources as needed. People who have been notified of an exposure should follow latest CDC and/or local guidance and protocols. A notification report to the Council office is not required.

Transportation

Members may carpool with other members outside of their family following these guidelines:

The personal situation of each girl should be factored into any decisions about carpooling- if a girl lives with a high-risk individual, carpooling may not be appropriate. Each parent/caregiver should make the best decision for their child in each situation.
It is recommended that all girls and adults wear masks when inside of the vehicle.
Keep car windows open, at least partially, to circulate fresh air.

If members choose to use public transportation, any guidelines regarding public transportation, such as masks, must be followed.

Tips and Travel

Trips

Domestic Day and Overnight trips are permitted. Troops must follow all CDC guidelines and the guidelines of any state the troop is entering.

For trip activity spaces and lodging, follow the same guidelines as for activities found above. Call ahead to the facility or vendor to confirm that they are following CDC and state health department guidelines. If an activity or sporting equipment is being provided, ask the provider if they wipe down equipment in between uses, similar to equipment at the gym. Make whatever appropriate accommodations are necessary. For example, bring extra sanitizer if none will be provided for public use at the activity location.

Try to ensure a well-ventilated area for sleeping, such as a tent or screened cabin if possible, ensuring head-to-toe sleeping arrangements (to avoid breathing on others while asleep). If open-air lodging isn’t practical, try to find accommodations with operable windows, as feasible, and ensure head-to-toe sleeping arrangements.

International Travel

International travel during the time of COVID-19 continues to be risky. Travelers are at more risk in some countries than others. Please check the COVID-19 section of the State Department and CDC websites frequently if you are considering a trip out of the country.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-19-information.html