Keeping our community safe

Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (GSSWT) remains committed to keeping members of our council safe and healthy. Effective April 2022, and updated August 2023, GSSWT uses prevention protocols based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) tracking of COVID-19 Hospital Admissions Level by county.

Please note: These protocols will vary based on a member’s county of residence/the county in which a Girl Scout activity is taking place. If there is a difference between the two, prevention protocols will be based on the county with the highest level of risk.

Regardless of a county’s community level of risk, individuals who feel ill or demonstrate any of the common symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home and all Girl Scouts are always encouraged to practice good hand hygiene, minimize the use of shared materials, and take precautions when eating snacks or meals.

Determine your county’s COVID-19 Community Hospital Admissions Level:

Visit the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker webpage.
Make sure the View: selection is Hospitalizations.
Zoom in on the map and find your county.

Your county will be shaded in one of three colors: Green (Level 1, Low Risk), Yellow (Level 2, Medium Risk), or Orange (Level 3, High Risk.)

Prevention Protocols

The protocols required for troops and communities are as follows, based on the respective county’s COVID-19 Hospital Admissions Level. Please see the Questions and Answers section of this webpage for more details.

Level 1 (Low Risk) toggle arrow

Face coverings are optional (regardless of vaccination status)
Pre-pandemic approvals are required for the following activities:
- Meeting in a private residence
- High-risk activities
- Day trips outside GSSWT’s service area
- Overnight trips of one to two nights
- Extended travel trips of three or more nights
- International travel

To request approval for one of the above activities, submit a complete Activity and Trip Form.

Level 2 (Medium Risk) toggle arrow

Face coverings are highly encouraged when:
- You are indoors with girls or adults (regardless of vaccination status).
- You are in a vehicle with girls or adults who are not of the same household (regardless of vaccination status).
- For GSSWT staff members only: Face coverings are required in the above situations.
Face coverings are optional when:
- You are outdoors (regardless of vaccination status).
Pre-pandemic approvals are required for the following activities:
- Meeting in a private residence
- High-risk activities
- Day trips outside GSSWT’s service area
- Overnight trips of one to two nights
- Extended travel trips of three or more nights
- International travel

To request approval for one of the above activities, submit a complete Activity and Trip Form.

Level 3 (High Risk) toggle arrow

Face coverings are required when:
- You are indoors with girls or adults (regardless of vaccination status).
  - You are in a vehicle with girls or adults who are not of the same household (regardless of vaccination status).
Face coverings are optional when:
- You are outdoors (regardless of vaccination status).
For overnight trips, troops/groups are required to reduce capacity for sleeping arrangements to 50 percent.
Pre-pandemic approvals are required for the following activities:
- Meeting in a private residence
- High-risk activities
- Day trips outside GSSWT’s service area
- Overnight trips of one to two nights
- Extended travel trips of three or more nights
- International travel

To request approval for one of the above activities, submit a complete Activity and Trip Form.

What will it take to slow the spread of COVID-19?

Wear a mask, wash your hands, practice physical distancing, and get your vaccine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Are masks required? toggle arrow

GSSWT has introduced integrated protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 using the CDC’s tracking of COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths, Emergency Department (ED) Visits, and Test Positivity by Geographic Area. Required COVID-19 prevention protocols for Girl Scouts will vary by county based on a member’s county of residence/the county in which a Girl Scout event is taking place.

Please refer to the Prevention Protocols section of this webpage for details.

How do you define “county of residence” for the new integrated COVID-19 prevention protocols? toggle arrow

A registered girl or adult member’s county of residence is defined as the county you live in based on your home address on record with Girl Scouts. For troops/groups with members living in more than one county, co-leaders should define their troop’s county of residence using the address of the troop’s meeting place on record with Girl Scouts.

For example: A troop in Schertz may have members who reside in Bexar, Guadalupe, and Comal counties, but the troop meets at the Schertz Public Library. Therefore, the troop’s county of residence is Guadalupe County.

Can troops meet? Is it OK for our girls to be interacting with each other? toggle arrow

Yes. GSSWT troops are welcome to meet and plan in-person events. However, GSSWT expects individuals who feel ill or demonstrate any of the common symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home.

(Please refer to the Prevention Protocols section of this webpage for details regarding meeting in homes. To receive approval to meet in a private residence, complete the Meet in Private Residence Application form online and please allow for four weeks for processing.)

Volunteers and parents/caregivers should ensure troops practice good hand hygiene, minimize the use of shared materials, and take precautions when eating snacks or meals, as well as follow the recommended COVID-19 prevention protocols based on their county of residence as tracked and reported by the CDC online.

Please refer to the Prevention Protocols section of this webpage for details.

Is group size limited? toggle arrow

No. Troops and communities are welcome to plan in-person events with no limit on group size. However, GSSWT expects individuals who feel ill or demonstrate any of the common symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home. Volunteers and caregivers should ensure troops practice good hand hygiene, minimize the use of shared materials, and take precautions when eating snacks or meals, as well as follow the recommended COVID-19 prevention protocols based on their county of residence as tracked and reported by the CDC online.

Please refer to the Prevention Protocols section of this webpage for details.

Can girls still camp? toggle arrow

Yes. Volunteers are required to submit the online Activity and Trip Form to GSSWT for all overnight trips of one to two nights four weeks in advance. Individuals who feel ill or demonstrate any of the common symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home. Troops and communities planning an overnight campout should be prepared to practice good hand hygiene, minimize the use of shared materials, and take precautions when eating snacks or meals, as well as follow the recommended COVID-19 prevention protocols based on their county of residence as tracked and reported by the CDC online. Please refer to the Prevention Protocols section of this webpage for details.

If your troop’s/group’s county of residence COVID-19 Hospital Admissions Level is 3 (High), troops/groups are required to reduce capacity for sleeping arrangements to 50 percent. Example: If sleeping in a four-person tent, only two girls per tent are allowed.

What if the COVID-19 community level of risk for our county of residence is different than a county we are visiting? toggle arrow

For day or overnight trips across county lines, volunteers and parents/caregivers are expected to be aware of the COVID-19 Hospital Admissions Level for your county of residence as well as your destination and follow the recommended COVID-19 prevention protocols based on the county with the highest level of risk.

For example, if your troop’s/group’s county of residence has a Hospital Admissions Level of 2 (Medium) and your troop/group is traveling for a day or overnight trip to a county with a Hospital Admissions Level of 1 (Low), your troop/group is required to follow the recommended guidelines for a Hospital Admissions Level of 2 (Medium).

Please refer to the Prevention Protocols section of this webpage for details.

Can girls still travel? toggle arrow

All domestic and international travel with girls is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please note that if there is any girl travel scheduled to a U.S. Department of State “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel” location, the trip should immediately be canceled or re-routed. Travel with girls to any international location identified by the U.S. Department of State as “Level 4 – Do Not Travel” is never allowed.

Volunteers are required to submit the online Activity and Trip Form to GSSWT for all extended travel of three or more nights six months in advance or for all international travel one year in advance.

Does Girl Scouts have any medical expertise? toggle arrow

While Girl Scouts strives to be a resource for girls and their caregivers, we do not have any medical expertise. However, we want to ensure that official guidance from reputable local, state, federal and global sources reach our volunteers and member families in a timely manner.

What we are experts on? Girls and their positive growth and development. You may find these articles from Girl Scouts of the USA’s Raising Awesome Girls series helpful:

Council Finder

COVID-19 Protocols

Keeping our community safe

Prevention Protocols

What will it take to slow the spread of COVID-19?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):