At Girl Scouts, there is nothing we take more seriously than the
safety and well-being of our girls, volunteers, and council staff. We
have been continuing to monitor communications from the governors’
offices, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of
Health, among others.
UPDATE 1/7/2022, Vaccine Information: We originally
released vaccine FAQs in March 2021, but we have been receiving
questions recently about our current vaccination guidance now that
vaccines are more widely available. Please review our updated Vaccine FAQs for Volunteers and Caregivers,
updated for January 2022.
UPDATE 9/30/2021, Face Mask Update: We are excited to be
starting a new troop year with you, and we're hopeful that it will be
a good one! And while we hoped we could have left COVID-19 back in
2020, that has unfortunately not been the case. With kids back to
school and the more contagious Delta variant being widespread, we are
unfortunately seeing another uptick in COVID-19 cases.
With that in mind, we are making a change to our masking
policy. Starting on October 1, 2021, everyone (adults and girls)
participating in Girl Scout activities within the GSSNE Council will
be required to wear masks when indoors, regardless of vaccination
status. We also highly recommend wearing masks outside as well. Per
this change in policy, anyone coming into any GSSNE building will be
required to wear a mask. If you have a reservation for troop camping
you will be receiving more information closer to your reservation
date. As part of the Girl Scout Law, we pledge to respect
ourselves and others, and we feel that keeping each other safe is a
prime example of how we can show that respect!
As always,
we ask that you continue to follow Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) and your state and local government’s guidelines
and restrictions. Please continue to practice good handwashing,
sanitizing, and social distancing practices.
As a
reminder, if you are meeting in a home, you must complete a permission
request for at-home meetings in the forms for at-home meetings.
Please note that a COVID-19 screening
questionnaire still needs to be completed by anyone attending
in-person meetings.
Still meeting virtually? No problem!
If you are a troop leader, your Service Unit Manager still has access
to your community’s Zoom license, so you may continue meeting
virtually. To access the service unit Zoom account and set up your
meetings, please reach out to them directly to coordinate your next
meeting.
We will continue to update this page with the
most current policies and procedures pertaining to this ever-evolving
pandemic.
Thank you for your continued support and flexibility.
UPDATE 8/17/2021, Meetings In Homes Policy: We know how excited everyone
has been to get back to some sort of normalcy and yet the new COVID
strain has many anxious about a return to normal. With that in
mind, here is our revised temporary policy on meeting in homes:
We encourage troops to hold troop meetings in public spaces like
places of worship, schools, and other community locations whenever
possible. However, we realize that due to continued COVID
restrictions, many regular meeting spaces may not yet be available to
the public. If troops have expended all possibilities and are still
unable to find a meeting space, we will continue to honor the
temporary permission that many of you received last year to meet in
homes
if the adult named on the permission request has a current Girl
Scout membership and background screening(s) AND
sends us a copy of their updated homeowner’s/renter’s insurance
policy (email a copy to CustomerCare@gssne.org).
Troops seeking first-time permission may apply to meet in homes for the upcoming membership
year (October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022). All temporary
permissions will expire on September 30, 2022. We ask that as soon as
meeting space becomes available, troops shift from meeting in homes to
public locations. Full protocols outlined in the forms for at-home
meetings can be found below.
Please note that a COVID-19 screening questionnaire needs to be
completed by anyone attending in-person meetings. That form can be
found here.
Please continue to reference this page for the most current policies
and procedures pertaining to this ever-evolving pandemic.
