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From the CEO: Monitoring COVID-19

March 03, 2020

Dear Girl Scout members, families, volunteers, staff and supporters,

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta is continually monitoring the status of COVID-19, also called novel coronavirus, with the health and safety of our movement firmly in mind. We will follow the guidance of the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Georgia State Department of Health and County Departments of Health as we evaluate conditions, make decisions and provide updated information to you regarding COVID-19 and our council’s response.

Overnight, the news media reported that there are two cases of COVID-19 in the State of Georgia. However, the virus is not widespread in our community, and there are no known cases among our members. For the time being, Girl Scout troop meetings, service unit events, camp programs, trainings and other council-sponsored programs are continuing without interruption. We are actively planning for contingencies and for additional precautionary measures, given the spread of the virus elsewhere. We will continue to update you as developments occur.

Here are the current steps we are taking to keep you safe:

Prevention: Each of us has a role to play in limiting the spread of COVID-19 by practicing good hygiene and engaging in other preventive practices. We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the CDC guidelines on how to limit the spread of the virus, which can be found here and another valuable resource is the Georgia Department of Public Health.
International travel restrictions: At the present time, no international trips for girls, volunteers or staff are being approved by our council. We are working to postpone trips for groups that have previously approved trips to Italy, as current CDC guidelines are to avoid all non-essential travel to this country at the present time.
Voluntary self-quarantine: If you or a member of your household have returned from travel to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, or Iran in the last 14 days, we ask that you self-isolate and DO NOT attend any Girl Scout meeting, program or event until 14 days have passed since your return date. This includes all individuals within the household, including children, with or without symptoms.
Reporting hotline: If you become aware of a Girl Scout, family member, volunteer, or staff member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, we ask that you notify our helpline at helpline@gsgatl.org or 800-771-1139 so that we can timely alert any exposed individuals and further limit the spread of the virus within our state.

At Girl Scouts, your safety is our #1 priority. Thank you for being a part of our movement’s efforts to ensure that the spread of the virus in our state is contained.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Amy S. Dosik

CEO, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta