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This page was last updated – 18/11/2021

 

Scouting in Wales moved to the Green readiness level on 17th September 2021

This means: All activities can resume for members who live in Wales. Residential activities and international travel may take place.

Group sizes and limitations:

  • All non-residential activities (including young people, Scout Network and adult only groups): No limit on group size, although all activities must be able to safely manage the risk of transmission of COVID and, if this is not possible, they must not take place.
  • Residential activities: Nights away activities may take place, more details in the planning COVID-safe Nights Away in 2021 guidance.
  • International travel: Visits abroad may resume but must follow the FCDO travel advice and still manage the transmission of COVID and ensuring that the trips are safe and accessible.
  • Although indoor activities are allowed, to make sure we do all we can to minimise the spread of the virus, we’d encourage you to continue to Scout outdoors where possible, and weather permitting.
  • Where someone has been confirmed with COVID and has attended a face-to-face Scouts activity within the 48 hours prior to testing positive you need to notify headquarters using the online incident reporting form and selecting COVID test in the medical interventions section

 

  • Testing and isolation

     

    The main advice is still to follow the Government and NHS guidelines using the Test, trace and Protect system.  This system will let you know if your Group needs to isolate, you do not need to make those decisions yourself.

     

    The details below are for information and should complement the advice given by Test, Trace and Protect.

     

    If somebody in your household is symptomatic

    If somebody in your household has Coronavirus symptoms or has tested positive for Coronavirus and you are fully vaccinated, then you should self-isolate and take a PCR test as soon as possible. If your test is negative, you can stop isolating. The same applies for 5 to 17 year olds.

    If you are not fully vaccinated and someone in your household has tested positive, you must self-isolate for 10 days. You should take a PCR test on day 2 and day 8 of this period. You should continue to self-isolate for 10 days even if your tests are negative.

    Children aged under 5 do not have to self-isolate or take a test if they have been a contact of a positive case in their household or otherwise.

    These rules apply to those living in Wales however, if you are fully vaccinated and live in England and someone in your household has Coronavirus symptoms or tests positive, we ask that you do not attend Scouting in Wales, take a PCR test and only come back to Scouting if it is negative.

     

    Close contact with somebody who has Coronavirus 

    If you are fully vaccinated (or under 18) and have been in close contact with someone who has Coronavirus, you do not need to self-isolate if you don’t have any symptoms. You are however encouraged to take a PCR test on day 2 and day 8 of being informed/realising you’ve been in close contact with somebody who has tested positive.

    If you have symptoms, you must self-isolate and get a PCR test immediately and then continue to self-isolate for 10 days if the result is positive.

    If you are not fully vaccinated (and aged 18 or over) and have been in close contact with someone who has Coronavirus but you do not have any symptoms, you still need to self-isolate for 10 days. You should then take a PCR test on day 2 and day 8. If you do have symptoms, you must self-isolate immediately for 10 days and take a PCR test. If the test is negative, you must continue to self-isolate and take another test on day 8.

    We encourage you to review your risk assessments with the above information in mind.

Can residential activities  go ahead?

Residential activities will no longer be limited by group size or the numbers sharing accommodation. This means more flexibility for Groups when planning their nights away activities, though members are still required to plan activities in ways which aim to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

 

What reasonable measures should I consider taking to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus?

While it is impossible to mitigate the risks completely, there are some measures which are reasonable to take, and members are expected to include these in their planning and risk assessments. There are some examples of reasonable measures below. The measures you take should be informed by your Covid Specific Risk Assessment and aim to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading during your activities or at your premises and should be tailored to your specific circumstances.

 

What are some examples of reasonable measures? (this is not an exhaustive list)

Reduce the chance of coronavirus being present

  • If a volunteer, parent, visitor, or a child becomes unwell or symptomatic while attending the setting they should leave the setting immediately and follow the advice on Test, Trace, Protect, including self-isolating and arranging a test.
  • Parents, visitors, and children who are symptomatic or have tested positive for COVID-19 must not attend the setting and must strictly follow the self-isolation guidance.
  • Rapid lateral flow testing for young people aged 11+  and volunteers at Scouts is strongly recommended for some activities such as for residential activities, as shown in the readiness level tables.

These tests give a result in 30 minutes using a swab and a small testing strip. If you’re doing lateral flow testing as part of a Scouts residential activity, take a look at the planning a COVID-safe nights away in 2021 guidance to see when and how frequently you will need to test everyone.

Lateral flow testing is designed to be used by people without symptoms, if anyone is displaying symptoms of COVID-19 then they should return home and have a PCR test.

Prevent crowding

  • Limit numbers or control movement of people so that where possible people can safely distance themselves from others. For example, use one-way systems to enter or walk around the premises and control the movement of people coming together in confined areas such as toilets.
  • Maintain social distancing between adults and children over 11 both during and outside of sessions. While it is generally accepted very young children are not good at distancing, other adults and older children should still try to distance from one another.
  • Control entry and exit points to prevent people coming together. Limit your capacity
  • Reduce numbers. In determining the capacity of the activity, the number of people who may attend at any one time, remember that lowering numbers will reduce the extent to which close physical interaction will occur, by reducing the potential for crowding.
  • Spreading people evenly across the venue so that they don’t gather in disproportionate numbers in one room or space.

Improve your ventilation or go outside

  • Encourage use of outdoor space where this is available.
  • Enhance airflow by opening windows and propping open internal doors (but not fire doors) where possible and where safe to do so. As children will attend these premises there will be some premises where opening windows or doors may increase the risk of children injuring themselves or leaving the premises unsupervised, so this should form a part of any risk assessment
  • If there is a lack of natural ventilation, ensure mechanical ventilation systems provide 100% fresh air and do not recirculate air from one space to another.
  • Make sure mechanical ventilation systems are effectively maintained and have been serviced.
  • Monitor CO2 levels to identify areas where ventilation may be poor. Poor ventilation may result in a higher level of CO2 within the premises, this can be an indicator of how easily Covid particles can spread within your building. You may wish to use a CO2 monitor to help evaluate this risk.
Do we need Face Coverings?

Face coverings must be worn in indoor public spaces in Wales by those over 11 years of age unless you are exempt as per Welsh Government guidelines.

Volunteers will need to consider their meeting place and assess if it is accessible to the general public whilst meetings are in progress.

If YES – Face coverings must be worn by all those over 11 during meetings

If NO – Face coverings are not required by anyone present.

If MAYBE – for example in the event of shared premises or venue, then Face Coverings must be worn in communal areas and any shared facility by those over 11.

For further information on getting back together safely, including guidance and templates for risk assessments please see the main Scouts website.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us using admin@scoutscymru.org.uk