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Troop Guidelines

Last Updated 4/3/2023

COVID-19 is an extremely contagious virus that spreads easily in the community. To limit potential exposure for girls, volunteers, and families, please follow the guidelines below in addition to local and national directives. Individual communities in Iowa and Illinois may establish stricter requirements. If that is the case in your community, you must adapt these guidelines to meet those requirements.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (GSEIWI) may modify this guidance from time to time as circumstances change.

  • All members can resume activities without wearing masks, except where required by territorial regulations, including local business and organization guidance. Please discuss plans with families before in-person gatherings. Anyone is welcome to continue to wear a mask when they feel it is necessary to ensure their safety. 
  • Volunteers and parents should ensure that any participants under their supervision do not have a temperature over 100.4° or experienced three or more symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 5 days. Participants should also not have been in contact with anyone with symptoms or a diagnosis of COVID-19 in the last ten days. If a participant exhibits COVID-19 symptoms or has a sustained fever of over 100.4⁰ F, they will need to be isolated until they can be taken home.
  • Ensure handwashing and/or sanitizing supplies are available and used often.
  • Disinfect high-touch surfaces often and minimize the use of shared materials.
  • Troops are invited to reserve some of our council offices and camps for troop meetings for free.
  • In the event of a COVID-19 exposure at a Girl Scout activity, promptly inform all attendees of the exposure and advise attendees to get tested, monitor for symptoms, and contact their healthcare provider with questions. Please respect the privacy of the person or people who are positive with COVID-19 unless they express it is okay to reveal their identity. If you have any questions or need help contacting attendees, please contact info@girlscoutstoday.org or 800-798-0833 and our team can assist or advise.

 

  

Camping, traveling, and overnight activities

Any co-living activity like traveling and camping should follow all guidelines regarding group size, social distancing, masks, hand washing, clean high-touch surface, etc.

As always, volunteers must seek council prior approval before planning any overnight stays, follow the guidance in Safety Activity Checkpoints, and continue to practice the Hygiene and COVID-19 Risk Mitigation guidance.

Participants will receive a health screening each morning which should include temperature and symptom checks.

First Aiders should have thermometers in their supplies to take temperatures in case participants exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. If a fever is exhibited, allow ten minutes after the initial temperature reading and then retake temperature to see if it is sustained.

If a participant exhibits COVID-19 symptoms or has a sustained fever of over 100.4⁰ F, they will be need to be isolated/quarantined until they can be taken home.