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 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.
UPDATE 5/26/2021, Mask Requirements: As COVID-19 vaccines
continue to be administered and more and more people are getting
inoculated, restrictions are beginning to lift surrounding COVID-19
safety practices across the country. We ask that you continue to
follow Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and your state and local
government’s guidelines and restrictions. The following rules are
immediately valid for Girl Scouts in our council in Rhode Island and
Connecticut and valid in Massachusetts beginning May 26:
Indoors:
- When meeting with girls under 12: Because girls under 12 are
not yet eligible for vaccination, girls and adults are required to
wear masks and practice social distancing as mandated by the CDC and
local government guidelines, regardless of adult vaccination status,
while meeting indoors.
- When meeting with girls 12 and
older: Fully vaccinated adults and girls 12 and older are no longer
required to wear masks indoors, so long as everyone—girls
included—are fully vaccinated.
- Please be aware that some
businesses and meeting/activity locations may still require masks to
be worn inside, regardless of vaccination status. We ask that you
follow their rules, respectfully.
Outdoors:
- While your state may advise you to continue to wear masks
outdoors, they may not be required. With that advisement in
consideration, we do not require masks for outdoor
gatherings/meetings but still recommend non-vaccinated persons (of
any age) to wear them.
The CDC and local authorities have defined a person as “fully
vaccinated” 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series (such
as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines) or 2 weeks after a single-dose
vaccine (such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine). Please see
our Vaccination FAQs for Volunteers and Parents for
more information.
As stated previously, so long as you are following all required
protocols as they are outlined by your respective state and local
governments, and CDC guidelines, we hope you enjoy continuing to meet
in person! With mask mandates lifting, please keep in mind that your
meeting or activity location may have additional rules that must be followed.
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, and happy spring!
