Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.2
Avoiding Crowded Venues and Large Gatherings 
Since 2020, this recipient has not attended any in-person large-scale events (concerts, sporting events, rallies, conferences, etc.) or visited crowded spaces (shopping areas at peak times, theme parks, mass transit, etc.)

Wanna earn this badge?
Use the links to learn about the challenges of sharing unfiltered air with others and how to feel OK about not wanting to share unfiltered air with others while problematic viruses are in circulation.
🔗 Aalto University - How Gatherings of People Increase the Risk of Coronavirus Exposure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsjRiznwRns
🔗 El País - A Room, a Bar, and a Classroom: How the Coronavirus is Spread Through the Air: https://elpais.com/especiales/coronavirus-covid-19/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air/
🔗 Stephanie Jacobsen - FOMO, JOMO and Covid: How Missing Out and Enjoying Life Are Impacting How We Navigate a Pandemic: http://www.na-businesspress.com/JOP/JOP21-3/4_JacobsenFinal.pdf
🔗 Cleveland Clinic - What Is JOMO? How To Enjoy Missing Out: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/jomo-the-joy-of-missing-out
🔗 Healthline - 4 (Totally Normal) Reasons You Aren’t Missing Your Pre-Pandemic Friendships: https://www.healthline.com/health/not-missing-anyone-post-pandemic

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html 

#CovidIsNotOver #CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsAirborne #JOMO

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.3
Learning About Air Quality and Ventilation 
This recipient has taken an interest in air quality and ventilation as it relates to healthy breathing and is working to improve air flow at home and work/school. (If you’ve built a CR Box, there’s a badge for that, too!)

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to learn more about air quality and the importance of ventilation, especially in the face of circulating respiratory viruses.
🔗 It’s Airborne - Flushing Spaces After Occupancy: https://itsairborne.com/flushing-spaces-after-occupancy-222c3717665b
🔗 U.S. Green Building Council - IAQ Fact Sheet Series: https://www.usgbc.org/resources/school-iaq-fact-sheets-entire-series
🔗 Clean Air Crew - Ventilation: https://cleanaircrew.org/ventilation/
🔗 Clean Air Stars - Steps to Achieving Cleaner Air in Your Business: https://cleanairstars.com/steps/
🔗 MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions - Reducing transmission of COVID-19 through improvements to indoor air quality: a checklist for community spaces: https://maphealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/Reducing-Transmission-of-COVID-19-Through-Improvements-to-Indoor-Air-Quality_-A-checklist-for-Community-Spaces.pdf

• Find more useful resources for air quality and ventilation in regards to virus spread: https://covidsafescouts.com/research.html#filtration

Already a seasoned Precautionista? 
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #CleanTheAir #CovidIsAirborne

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.4
Multitasking at Home
Since 2020, this recipient has been dedicated to staying home and not participating in the spread of Covid, instead doing as much as possible at home, from shopping for necessities to working to playing and maintaining an adequate quality of life.

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to learn more about finding a work-life balance when you’re housebound.
🔗 The Verge - Thing We’ve Learned Working From Home: https://www.theverge.com/23220147/work-from-home-lessons-wfh
🔗 Philly Mag - The 5 Biggest Benefits of Being a Homebody: https://www.phillymag.com/sponsor-content/5-biggest-benefits-homebody/
🔗 BBC - What Hermits Can Teach Us About Isolation: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200417-what-hermits-can-teach-us-about-isolation
🔗 McKinsey & Co - How Covid-19 is Changing Consumer Behavior—Now and Forever: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/How%20COVID%2019%20is%20changing%20consumer%20behavior%20now%20and%20forever/How-COVID-19-is-changing-consumer-behaviornow-and-forever.pdf

cw: some links may refer to the pandemic/virus in the past tense

Already a seasoned Precautionista? 
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#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #StaySafeStayHome #WFH #CovidIsntOver #Homebody

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.5
Acknowledging Covid is Airborne
This recipient understands that virus particulates expelled from a person’s mouth and nose can linger in the air to infect unsuspecting persons at some distance.

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to better understand how Covid can linger and spread in the air.
🔗 Chemical Insights - Understanding Aerosol Transmission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiwOgQccqoc
🔗 Ontario Society of Professional Engineers - How Covid Spreads: https://ospe.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/How_COVID_Spreads_Article_Nov22.pdf
🔗 Clean Air Crew - Covid is Airborne: https://cleanaircrew.org/covid-is-airborne/
🔗 Covid is Airborne.org: https://www.covidisairborne.org/home
🔗 The John Snow Project - Don’t Breathe It In: https://www.covidisairborne.org/home

• Find more useful resources about Covid as an airborne virus: https://www.covidsafescouts.com/research.html#airborneresources

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Reply with #CovidSafeScouts to share your favourite visualizations demonstrating virus spread through the air and sources calculating how long the virus can stay active in the air.
• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver #CovidIsAirborne

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.6
Monitoring and Assessing Risks  
Since 2020, this recipient routinely looks at data and trends in Covid spread to calculate the risks of travelling, attending gatherings, and making medical appointments.

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to learn about Covid’s risks and ongoing pervasiveness and learn how to assess your risks of catching/spreading Covid
🔗 Dr. Lucky Tran - How Long Are You Contagious with Covid-19?: https://med-mastodon.com/@luckytran/112028843578506032
🔗 Yale School of Public Health’s Covid-19’s Effect on the Immune System: https://pdflink.to/yale-covid-19-immune-system-impacts/
🔗 Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative - Covid-19 Forecasting Model (US): https://www.pmc19.com/data/index.php
🔗 Global SARSCoV2 Variant Landscape - At a Glance!: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/raj.rajnarayanan/viz/ConvergentLineages-VariantSoup-World/G20
🔗 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - Covid-19 Risk Calculator: https://covid-19.forhealth.org/covid-19-transmission-calculator/
🔗 Luc Latulippe - How to Administer a Covid-19 Rapid Test at Home: https://vimeo.com/880677444

• Find more useful resources for risk assessment and monitoring Covid data: https://covidsafescouts.com/assessment.html

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.7
Shielding a Loved One From Covid
This recipient has a loved one that is vulnerable to (further) Covid infections and takes precautionary measures to ensure they are not exposed to the virus

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to help determine whose at highest risk for dire outcomes 
🔗 WHO - Covid-19: vulnerable and high risk groups: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/information/high-risk-groups
🔗 Government of Canada - People Who Are At Risk of More Severe Disease or Outcomes From Covid-19: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/people-high-risk-for-severe-illness-covid-19.html
🔗 Kaiser Permanente - Covid-19: People Who Are at High Risk for Serious Illness: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/health-encyclopedia/he.covid-19-people-who-are-at-high-risk-for-serious-illness.acm1371
🔗 Mayo Clinic - Covid-19: Who’s a Higher Risk of Serious Symptoms: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-who-is-at-risk/art-20483301

(Note: if you’ve been infected and have new, seemingly unrelated health issues, please get checked out and see if you’re at higher risk.)

(Another note: Everyone is worth shielding from Covid (re)infection(s), regardless of whether they might die immediately or in several months from something seemingly unrelated. Always be protecting your loved ones. And your loved ones should include yourself.)

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.8
Received the Initial Dose of Covid-19 Vaccine
This recipient has gotten their primary doses of the Covid-19 vaccine (There’s also a badge for being vaccinated to the max)

cw: vaccine needle imagery

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to learn about how adding Covid vaccines to your infection reduction strategy 
🔗 Johns Hopkins Medicine - Covid-19 Vaccine: What You Need to Know: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know
🔗 CDC - Benefits of Getting Vaccinated: https://web.archive.org/web/20241231193344/https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/benefits.html
🔗 CDC - Staying Up to Date with Covid-19 Vaccines: https://web.archive.org/web/20241229091921/https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html
🔗 Mayo Clinic - Covid-19 vaccines: Get the Facts: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-vaccine/art-20484859 

• Find more useful resources for the benefits of Covid-19 vaccines: https://covidsafescouts.com/assessment.html#vaccine

(Note: Some links may include outdated information about expected vaccine efficacy and may include language that past tenses the Covid pandemic/crisis.)

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(Note: Covid-Safe Scouts know folks do what they can to protect themselves and others when they can and that Covid vaccine eligibility has been frequently subject to government whims instead of legit medical science. We are not indulging anti-vax discourse.)
• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #VaccinesWork #CovidIsntOver

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.9
Avoiding Unnecessary Travel
Since 2020, this recipient has not pursued any leisure travel involving mass transit or crowded areas, with or without widespread precautionary measures in place

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to help you rethink your leisure travel strategies 
🔗 Your Local Epidemiologist - SARS-CoV-2 Transmission on Planes: https://substack.com/@yourlocalepidemiologist/p-52429947
🔗 El País - An Analysis of Three Covid-19 Outbreaks: https://elpais.com/especiales/coronavirus-covid-19/an-analysis-of-three-covid-19-outbreaks/
🔗 Psychology Today - Finding Joy and Resilience During Stay-at-Home Times: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-social-self/202004/finding-joy-and-resilience-during-stay-home-times
🔗 Imperial - No ‘Safest Spot’ to Minimise Risk of Covid-19 Transmission on Trains: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/237571/no-safest-spot-minimise-risk-covid-19
🔗 Airspot - Coronavirus Found in Samples From 96% of Flights: https://airspothealth.com/a/blog/coronavirus-found-in-samples-from-96-of-flights

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidIsNotOver #CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsAirborne #CovidIsntOver

Covid-Safe Scout Merit Badge No.10
Contactless Shopping and Delivery
Since 2020, this recipient has taken advantage of online shopping and contactless pickup/delivery of purchases, reducing exposure and spread of Covid

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these links to learn more about the concept of curbside pickup, then check your local shops to see what options are available to you to lessen your time spent inside stores.
🔗 Fabric.inc - What is Curbside Pickup?: https://fabric.inc/blog/commerce/what-is-curbside-pickup-explained
🔗 Zebra Technologies - Are Contactless Technologies the Key to Staying Connected with Retail and Hospitality Customers During Covid-19?: https://www.zebra.com/us/en/blog/posts/2020/contactless-tech-is-key-to-staying-connected-to-retail-and-hospitality-customers.html
🔗 SimpleTexting - What is Curbside Delivery?: https://simpletexting.com/blog/what-is-curbside-delivery/

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidSafeScouts #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver

Covid-Safe Scout Proficiency Badge No.1
Sharing Data and Studies of Covid Progress
This recipient regularly shares links to reports, charts, and studies tracking new findings into the novel coronavirus, including updates on vaccine efficacy, treatment developments, and newly discovered complications resulting from Covid infections. 

Wanna earn this badge?
Use these resources to keep up-to-date on the latest Covid data and share the links with those you care about
🔗 Violet Blue - Weekly Pandemic Roundup: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1160?view=expanded
🔗 Covid Lists: https://raindrop.io/JW_Lists/covid-lists-30427555
🔗 Avoid the Plague: https://avoid-plague.info/
🔗 Christina Pagel - Diving Into Data and Decision Making: https://erictopol.substack.com/
• Find more useful resources about Covid and its impacts: https://covidsafescouts.com/impact.html

Already a seasoned Precautionista?
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• Collect all the Covid-Safe Scout badges: https://covidsafescouts.com/badges.html

#CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver #CovidSafeScouts