Page updated March 11, 2022
Conducting Scouting Activities and Current Recommendations
As the state reopens from pandemic restrictions, it is important that Scouting units take the necessary precautions required by all government health authorities.
Please note that the guidance from local county and state health departments is prone to change and vary from county to county. Units must review and actively monitor local and state guidance and adhere to all suggested and required measures to prevent the spread. If there is a discrepancy between county, state, or CDC recommendations, we encourage units to adhere to the stricter standard.
Council Programs and Properties
Cutter Scout Reservation is currently closed while fire damage repairs are underway. Council in-person programs at Boulder Creek Scout Reservation and day camps have resumed. All programs can be found in our calendar.
You can check for available dates and make your reservations here.
County and State Specific Information and Resources
Below are links to various county and state requirements and resources. Where not specifically listed under county guidelines, units should default to the state guidelines.
- California COVID-19 page – The main page maintained by the CA Department of Public Health
- San Mateo County COVID-19 page
- Santa Clara County COVID-19 page
BSA Resources
Latest Council Guidance Concerning COVID-19
The Pacific Skyline Council, in addition to other communications, will be updating this website with the additional recommendations as new information becomes available.
Unit Restart Guidebook
When planning to engage in any sort of activity and before you begin planning in-person unit meetings, it is important to ensure that you have reviewed and are following all state and local guidelines. In the event these guidelines conflict, the stricter regulation is the one that needs to be followed. If no guidance is available locally, the state guidance must be followed.
As part of the local guidelines that units need to consider, units must contact their charter organization to learn what requirements they have in place.
Common local guidelines state:
- Indoor meetings/activities are not recommended at this time.
- Maintain 6 feet of distance between all participants.
- Masks must be worn at all times. See the California guidance for additional information.
- Health check and attendance tracking is required at every gathering.
- Chartering organizations need to complete a Social Distancing Protocol with their local county.
Please note that this guidance may be different in your county. Units must review and follow the guidance of both their county and the state health departments. Click the link below to download a copy of the Unit Restart Guidebook.
Before You Meet, Make Sure You Screen for COVID-19
An updated COVID-19 pre-event medical screening checklist pdf is available to help you determine whether to stay home or not during the pandemic. It shares symptoms to look for as well as defines “close contact.” According to the Centers for Disease Control, “close contact” means:
- You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period
- You had direct physical contact with an infected person
- You shared eating or drinking utensils
- An infected person sneezed, coughed or otherwise got respiratory droplets on you
If any one of these happened to you prior to a Scouting event, stay home, OR if anyone in your household experiences any of these symptoms prior to an event, everyone in the household must stay home. Even if you think your symptoms are the result of allergies, stay home.
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Fever of 100 degrees or greater
- Flu-like symptoms
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of taste or smell
- Diarrhea
- Nausea or vomiting
You should also stay home if you’ve had a COVID-19 test and are awaiting results. The virus can affect people differently; you can experience multiple symptoms or none.
Completing A Social Distancing and Design Protocol FAQ
Per state and county guidelines chartering organizations must complete a social distancing and design protocol form before units resume in-person activities at their facility. Links to your counties form are listed in the County and State Specific Information and Resources above. Please note that these are general forms that are designed to be applicable across a wide array of businesses and activities. For questions regarding your form, please contact your local health department or the council service center.
General Facility and Contact Information
- The legal business entity that oversees Scouting units is the chartering organization. Structured by the bylaws and rules and regulations of the Boy Scouts of America, all Scouting units are owned by their chartering organization and not their local council. References to a business should be regarded as pertaining to the chartering organization.
- The current executive officer of the chartering organization is often one of / or the legal signatory of the organization, but your chartering organization should be able to direct you to the correct individual.
- Your chartering organization may have already completed a social distancing and design protocol for your regular meeting facility. If this is the case, units should work with them to enforce its requirements and/or amend to include Scouting activities and the counties requirements for youth activities.
- Many times, units may wish to meet in-person, but only for outdoor activities or gathering in varied locations. In these cases, you should work with your charter organization to complete a social distancing and design protocol for these off-site programs. A single form or multiple may be applicable depending on the variety of activities or locations.
- An adult volunteer in the unit or someone designated by your chartering organization’s protocol must be assigned as the contact and individual responsible for ensuring the protocols are followed. This individual should be intimately involved in the development of the protocol to better understand all the elements that must be followed to ensure a safe program.
Signage
- If you are using a regular meeting facility, you must post the required signage from the protocol.
- For areas where posting may not be possible, copies of the required signage and protocol must be distributed and made easily available to all participants.
Personnel Training
- Training is required for all participants and volunteers and is available through the CDC or your local county. You can find the appropriate links in your counties protocol information.
Control Measures, Cleaning and Facility Specific Protocols
- Control measures and cleaning should be developed in conjunction with the chartering organization or should be aligned to the activities of off-site facility programs.
- Due to the general nature of the form, some items may not apply to your unit, such as delivery areas or curbside pick-up, but units must follow all applicable requirements for their activities and meeting space.
- For Scouting activities that do not necessarily align to the general form, units and chartering organizations should use the opportunity to highlight methods they will use for their specific facility to maintain a sanitary, social distanced space, while employing measures to prevent unnecessary contact. These strategies can be listed in the Optional – Describe other measures section of the form.
- A list of guidance to provide a safe space for these activities can be found in the recommendations of your county or state health department. Additional recommendations are included in this document, but in all cases, the county and state guidance should be followed.
