Updated public health order affects troop gatherings

On Oct. 23, Gov. Polis and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) amended its Safer at Home public health order to limit personal gatherings in all counties at all Safer at Home levels. The revised order reduces the size of personal gatherings to no more than 10 people from no more than two separate households. Girl Scout troop meetings are considered “personal gatherings” and are affected by this public health order. You can find your county’s level here. At this time, the public health order affects all but four Colorado counties.

Girl Scouts of Colorado reached out to officials with CDPHE to determine how the amended order affects troop activities. These are the answers they provided.

Larger Girl Scout events, such as a service unit event, only qualify as “outdoor or indoor events” if they are intended for and open to the community.

Girl Scout troops can attend events or activities at a business in accordance with the rules and regulations for the business. Businesses are under separate regulations and can also set their own rules and regulations that are stricter than the state or county. We recommend if you are hosting activities or events at a business, you should contact the business to confirm their rules and share their plan to ensure the business is fine with the group size, mask requirements, etc. For instance a business may decide that a group gathering is a personal gathering and apply those rules of no more than 10 people from no more than two separate households in a party.

We know it’s disappointing not to be able to meet in-person, but it’s also important to follow the public health order and each of us must to do our part to curb the spread of COVID-19.  There is a wide variety of online programming available and tips to help your troop stay connected even when we cannot gather in person. Please reach out to your VSS if you need help setting up virtual programming for your troop.

Please see the COVID page on our website and the COVID FAQs for the most up-to-date information.