Events being cancelled? Or modified?

[MacBrave]

Our troop has cancelled meetings until at least April 6th,  the date our county schools are tentatively scheduled to be back in session.  Council says no face-to-face unit meetings until at least April 13th.  

Our feeder pack B&G/Crossover was supposed to be tonight, now rescheduled for April 28th.

We had to cancel this weekend's planned outing to the Louisville MegaCave because the nearby scout camp where we were going to stay has closed until at least the end of March.

 

[desertrat77]

Cut/paste from  https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/coronavirus/

Philmont Closed to the Public Until April 1st

Update: 3/17/20 – 10:45 AM

Following CDC guidelines and recommendations from the state of New Mexico, Philmont has made the decision to close to the public until April 1^st. This decision affects the National Scouting Museum, Tooth of Time Traders (toothoftimetraders.com remains open), and all offices. Conferences and Winter Adventure activities of more than 10 have also been canceled. Staff will remain on-site and continue to work, with efforts to increase social distancing. If you need assistance please call us at 575-376-2281 and we will be happy to help.

This decision does not affect summer programs. We are hopeful that the widespread social distancing and containment efforts will help stop the spread of this virus.

We will continue to monitor developments regarding COVID-19 and provide updates as they are available. Additional updates and information will be shared on this page.

PhilBreak Session 4 Cancelled

Update: 3/17/20 – 9:30 AM

Following CDC guidelines and New Mexico state recommendations, Philmont has made the decision to cancel PhilBreak Session 4. Depending on how you registered, you can expect to receive a refund in the next 7 to 21 days. As always, your safety and the safety of all our participants, guests, volunteers, and employees is our top priority.

This decision does not affect summer treks. We are hopeful that the widespread social distancing and containment efforts will help stop the spread of this virus.

We will continue to monitor developments regarding COVID-19 and provide updates as they are available.

 

[desertrat77]

Also from https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/coronavirus/

Status of Upcoming Winter/Spring Programs

The following Winter/Spring programs have been canceled at this time:

• March 20-22 – Cub Scout National Camp School
• March 21-28 – PhilBreak Session 4
• March 30-April 4 – Resident National Camp School
• April 24-26 – NM Search and Rescue Council ESCAPE Conference

We will continue to evaluate future programs/events and will communicate any changes if they arise. 

......

Status of Summer Programs (Treks, Training Center, and Staff)

No summer programs have been canceled or affected at this time. We will continue to monitor and consult with experts and provide updates as they become available. It is important to continue everyday prevention measures. As you prepare for your Philmont adventure, decisions about unit meetings and trek preparation activities should be made by unit leadership and chartering organizations based on the unit’s individual circumstances and current CDC and local health department guidelines.

Edited March 18, 2020 by desertrat77

[ianwilkins]

UK status report:

As of Tuesday, UK HQ stopped all face to face scout meetings or camps of any kind from now on until advised otherwise. Same with Girl Guiding (Girl Scouts). All three campsites I know locally have shutdown, no third party hires, no volunteer maintenance crews. Scout groups that own their own buildings advised to not sublet to any non-scout groups, presumably to avoid having to have people go in to open up or clean, and to avoid liability issues if someone catches covid-19 while there.

Unsurprisingly, many (most) large camps and Jamborees right through until July have cancelled completely, or rescheduled for next year, as they were having to book activities and so on now and pay deposits.

Am keeping a watching brief for our much smaller summer camp in July/August, and a 500 capacity camp we run in September.

All pretty unprecedented.

Oh, and then scrolling down I see you already know this. Doh!

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by ianwilkins

[RememberSchiff]

Found this in my internet travels.   In the past, I have donated directly to the scout family in need without strings. 

[InquisitiveScouter]

^^^^ Does this seem just plain wrong to any of you?? 

Good on you @RememberSchiff for meeting the need directly!  Spot on!

Edited March 22, 2020 by InquisitiveScouter

[Navybone]

 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Navybone

[RememberSchiff]

 

From: https://www.scout.org/covid-19-advisory

Suspension of WOSM Meetings, Workshops and Events 
At the World and Regional levels, all non-critical meetings, workshops and events for March and April have been suspended or postponed to reduce the risk of spreading the illness. Among these events include the Africa Scout Day celebrations, 6th World Scout Interreligious Symposium, APR Scout Leaders Summit and others.

Where possible, we strongly recommend that NSOs consider virtual participation for Scout meetings or events instead of traveling or meeting in-person, or suspending meetings altogether. Please also continue to monitor the situation in your respective countries closely, and make informed decisions that prioritise the health, safety and well-being of all members.

We are aware that these are extraordinary times, and that the cancellation of events and Scout gatherings is very disappointing. However, keeping young people, volunteers and staff safe will always be our priority. We will continue to keep our Member Organizations informed of further developments. 

Edited March 23, 2020 by RememberSchiff

[RememberSchiff]

From Scouts Australia :  https://www.nsw.scouts.com.au/members-services/health-and-safety/scouting-guide-to-coronavirus/

The Federal and State Governments have now announced a series of new measures and recommendations to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. They both share the view that only the most essential face-to-face interactions should continue at this time.

This means Scouts NSW will no longer continue any face to face Scouting. Instead, we are activating a series of new channels to enable adults and young people to stay connected to Scouting over the coming months.

• We are creating Virtual groups through our Microsoft Teams platform to allow Groups and Sections to meet.
• The Youth program team is launching some alternative program suggestions, which will be regularly updated. They include a range of activities delivered through Project Patrols and aligned to the Special Interest Areas of our program.
• We are encouraging members to participate in the World Organisation of Scouting (WOSM) events including Scouts Earth Hour on 28 March and Jamboree on the Internet on 3-5 April.
• Our NSW Scouts Lones Group will be making some of their programs, activities and worksheets available.
• A series of weekly challenges will be launched, which young people can complete together with family or friends, thereby introducing new people to Scouting activities.

At all times, we are guided by our priority to protect the health and safety of all our members.

 

[SteveMM]

Our Scoutmaster has come up with a plan to do outside service during the COVID-19 shutdown.  Our CO is a church that could use some landscaping work, and there's a trail in the woods next door that could use some cleanup.  While in theory this seems like it could work, I don't believe there's any way that it could be done without the boys climbing all over each other or potentially passing the virus if one of them has it.  We had an outdoor Greenbar last week and told the boys to keep their distance from one another, but one Scout (the SM's son!) immediately jumped on the back of another.  I'm on the troop committee and made my concerns known during the adult meeting.  My son is SPL but was too timid to speak up.  The committee chair and scoutmaster have made it clear that these activities will be voluntary, so my suspicion is that we'll be skipping them.

I did make one suggestion during the Greenbar that I feel could theoretically work.  We have a large bonfire area in the nearby woods.  I suggested we rotate by patrol and have a fire every week, with boys sitting at least six feet apart around the fire.  Each of our patrols is only 5-6 boys, so that would keep us under the 10-person limit.  And, with that number of boys, a couple of adults could easily keep things under control.  It would be a good opportunity talk about how the virus is effecting us, talk about how Scouts can help people, and generally just have some fellowship.

[HashTagScouts]

Please do not go forward with this.  The loss of scouting activities is hard on many of us, but the right thing to do is stay at home and social distance as much as possible.  Areas like NY are now employing extreme social distancing- "groups" no larger than 2, maintaining 10 feet distance whenever possible.  We are in for months of this, especially as more people do not comply. An activity such as what your SM is considering would require sterilizing rake or shovel handles between users, wearing masks, etc.  Then there is the other aspect that for everyone to get there, that likely means using gasoline in your cars, which promotes people going to the gas station more often than may be necessary.  The way we get through this is to stay away from others as much as possible.  We should avoid visiting others, even family members, or having others to our homes.  

 

[SteveMM]

5 minutes ago, HashTagScouts said:

Please do not go forward with this.  The loss of scouting activities is hard on many of us, but the right thing to do is stay at home and social distance as much as possible.  Areas like NY are now employing extreme social distancing- "groups" no larger than 2, maintaining 10 feet distance whenever possible.  We are in for months of this, especially as more people do not comply. An activity such as what your SM is considering would require sterilizing rake or shovel handles between users, wearing masks, etc.  Then there is the other aspect that for everyone to get there, that likely means using gasoline in your cars, which promotes people going to the gas station more often than may be necessary.  The way we get through this is to stay away from others as much as possible.  We should avoid visiting others, even family members, or having others to our homes.  

 

I completely agree with you, and have stated my concerns to the committee.  The SM said the tool cleanliness issue would be solved by everyone bringing their own tools from home, but frankly I just don't trust the younger Scouts to stick to that.  We're in Virginia, where the limitations are currently a bit different than New York.  Here, they're recommending no groups more than 10 and 6-8 feet distance.  But, again, I just don't trust the Scouts (particularly the younger ones) not to be climbing all over each other the minute no one is looking.  It's just what boys do.

Edited March 23, 2020 by SteveMM

[HashTagScouts]

Agreed.  The practicality of trying to keep them distanced and not touching each others items doesn't seem realistic.  New York right now is an extreme, but it is the model that will likely be necessary in many other places, at any given time.  Our understandings of this virus are changing by the minute, and secondary outbreaks are going to be the concern going forward.

[T2Eagle]

1 hour ago, SteveMM said:

We're in Virginia, where the limitations are currently a bit different than New York.  Here, they're recommending no groups more than 10 and 6-8 feet distance.  

Everyone in the world is going to wish that they did everything they did three weeks earlier than they did it.  NY is somewhere around 1 week away from running out of hospital beds.  If you don't live somewhere that is in lock down, put yourself in lockdown now, and maybe you'll escape the nightmare worst.

In Ohio, we're on lockdown, we're going to hold our first troop meeting via Zoom this Wednesday.  Our goal is to have everyone in uniform, at home.  This week will be about troop elections plus ideas for future meetings.  Our goal is to meet every week at  the same time as our regular meeting.

[ianwilkins]

3 minutes ago, T2Eagle said:

Everyone in the world is going to wish that they did everything they did three weeks earlier than they did it.  NY is somewhere around 1 week away from running out of hospital beds.  If you don't live somewhere that is in lock down, put yourself in lockdown now, and maybe you'll escape the nightmare worst.

This. Totally agree. There is no reason why the contagion rates will be any different in any part of the USA than any other developed country. Just about every country is following the same path and pattern. Cases increase slowly, then exponentially upwards at which point most go "must do something!" and start self isolating, lockdown, shut schools etc etc. Too late. This is not media hype. This is not hysteria. Calmly prepare to spend as much time as possible over the next few months away from as many people as possible.

1 hour ago, SteveMM said:

I completely agree with you, and have stated my concerns to the committee.  The SM said the tool cleanliness issue would be solved by everyone bringing their own tools from home, but frankly I just don't trust the younger Scouts to stick to that.  We're in Virginia, where the limitations are currently a bit different than New York.  Here, they're recommending no groups more than 10 and 6-8 feet distance.  But, again, I just don't trust the Scouts (particularly the younger ones) not to be climbing all over each other the minute no one is looking.  It's just what boys do.

Sounds like one of the "oh it'll be fine don't be such an old woman!"  brigade. If it's not absolutely essential, it should stop. A camaraderie bonfire is a nice to have.