Scouting Through COVID Top 10: Guidelines for Unit, District, and Council Activities*

With planning, Scouting can be safe during COVID. Staying vigilant and informed are key.

1. Communicate with your Chartered Organization to learn what requirements they might have in place, and to engage them in your plan.
2. Group size is currently limited to a maximum of 75 persons indoors, 150 outdoors.**
3. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or questionable exposure must stay home. The GMC Pre-Event Screening Checklist is a tool for communicating this to participants, and for documenting compliance.
4. The Checklist is a required document for District and Council events to aid in contact tracing, if necessary, as required by the Health Department. Units are encouraged to use this tool, as well.
5. Individuals shall wear a cloth mask covering nose and mouth, whether indoors or outdoors, when physical distancing (at least 6 feet between non-family members) cannot be maintained.
6. There must be facilities or supplies to allow for frequent hand washing and/or sanitizing, and frequent reminders to do so.
7. Shared equipment and surfaces must be sanitized frequently.
8. Participants must be limited to those residing in counties with less than 400 active cases of COVID-19 per one million residents. (See https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/restart/cross-state-travel)
9. Camping: tents must be set up 6 feet apart, and each person must have their own tent, unless a family unit. The Guide to Safe Scouting applies.
10. Dining: Avoid serving styles where diners use shared utensils and condiments; discontinue use of group beverage dispensers.

Obviously, all must adhere to the guidance provided by the State of Vermont and VT Department of Health.

In the event that a participant exhibits COVID-19 symptoms during or following the activity, report to the activity/event leader, who will follow the BSA procedures for reporting injuries and accidents. See https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/incident-report/. The participant should follow up with their primary care provider.

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* Operations at our Council-owned properties may be subject to more stringent guidelines.
** Vermont’s Be Smart, Stay Safe guidance (accd.vermont.gov) currently specifies occupancy limits at

• 50 percent of approved fire safety occupancy to the set maximum below; OR
• One customer/person per 100 square feet of customer facing space to the set maximum below if no fire safety occupancy is established.
• Occupancy may not exceed 75 total people for inside operations or events even if their fire safety occupancy or square footage calculation would otherwise permit a greater amount of people.
• Occupancy may not exceed 150 people for outside operations or events.

A PDF file of this, for distribution to all activity leaders, is available HERE.

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