In Wisconsin, Governor Evers published Executive Order #94 on November 10, calling for unity and working together in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a new emergency order on November 15 requiring a three-week pause targeting indoor social gatherings and other group activities in an effort to curb rapidly rising COVID-19 infection rates.
Key points to protect everyone from COVID-19 as following:
- Stay at home as much as possible and only make necessary trips.
- Avoid gatherings of any size between individuals who are not members of the same living unit or household.
- Maintain physical distancing of at least six feet between those who are not members of the same family or living unit.
- Wash hands often.
- Cover coughs.
- Frequently clean high touch surfaces.
- Wear a face covering.
What does this mean for Scouting unit meetings and outings?
As the weather turns colder, Scout units undoubtedly may need to spend more of their meetings in a virtual environment due to possible regular meeting location COVID safety restrictions. Scout leaders should use their best judgement and have a conversation with the unit committee to help facilitate options for meetings and activity plans. Some schools are in-person, so if the youth interact safely at school, it’s still reasonably safe to conduct small size meetings (preferably outside with social distancing and face coverings) in groups of 10 or less (den and patrols). You may need reduce meeting frequency and do more virtual meetings if the capabilities are available.
The pandemic continues to be of concern for all. We must continue to be a leader in this area and follow the guidance of our local health officials. Please check the health department section of your county’s website and follow their directions. Safety is our #1 priority and until the trend of positive cases moves down, we need to be vigilant about our Scout meetings and activities.
