COVID-19 HEALTH & SAFETY PRACTICES

Welcome to a Year Like No Other. We are so excited to welcome students on our 2021 expeditions. Our courses may look slightly different this year, as we follow our enhanced health and safety standards. Please keep reading to see what these standards look like on course and what you can expect as you embark on your journey with Outward Bound.

Let's Get Started. The moment you decide to go Outward Bound you’re tasked with responsibilities that impact not only yourself, but also your crew. This includes taking the necessary precautions to mitigate risks, including those associated with COVID-19. Below are enhanced health and safety practices we ask of every student prior to arrival and while on course.

14 DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR COURSE START

• Practice proper social distancing – maintain 6ft of space between yourself and others
• Wash and sanitize your hands frequently
• Avoid crowded places and contact with people who are sick
• Wear a mask in public spaces
• Monitor for COVID-19 symptoms

*All students are required to have a negative COVID-19 test prior to course start. Guidelines as to when these take place vary from School to School. Please check in with your Course Advisor for your COVID-19 testing requirements.

TRAVELING TO COURSE

Depending on your course start location, you may be required to travel to course by private transportation—you can find out more by contacting your Course Advisor or regional school. No matter how you get to course, we ask you to take these necessary steps in order to mitigate your exposure.

• Minimize stops along the way
• Bring all needed supplies with you
• Wear a mask in public places
• Wash and sanitize your hands frequently

Hear what Jonas and Nora, Fall 2020 Semester Alumni had to say about their experience traveling to course.

HEALTH REMINDER

Do not travel to course if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, if you have been or presumed to have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or you, yourself, have tested positive for COVID-19. In this instance please contact your Course Advisor immediately to work through your options.

DURING COURSE

After you arrive at basecamp, have a negative COVID-19 test and have been screened for symptoms your expedition will begin. These field practices are designed to keep yourself and others healthy while on course.

• Practicing social distancing from each other and other groups
• Wearing a face covering anytime a distance of six feet cannot be maintained
• Daily symptoms log and temperature check
• Individual sleeping arrangements
• Setting up handwashing stations at camp and carrying hand sanitizer
• Coughing and sneezing away from others
• Minimizing touching your face
• Not sharing personal items including water bottles or spoons
• Wearing a mask when preparing and serving food

*For expeditions with enough adequate testing and time to allow for proper presumption of zero positive cases and COVID-19 symptoms, crews are able to be deemed a “family unit." This relaxes the field practices associated with COVID-19 and allows students to operate under a more normalized routine. Students will still be required to practice social distancing and mask wearing when they come in contact with anyone outside of their group or when in public spaces.

Check out what Molly, Luke and Fiona, Fall 2020 Pathfinder and Semester Alumni had to say about becoming a family unit while on course.

PROCEDURE IF SYMPTOMS ARISE ON EXPEDITION

• If a student begins to exhibit COVID-19 symptoms during a course, they will be evacuated for testing and quarantined while awaiting test results.
• Upon receiving a negative test, and with the advice of a healthcare professional, the student may be able to return to the group.
• Upon receiving a positive test for COVID-19, they will be quarantined and required to leave the course. A parent (or family appointed guardian) of minor students is required to take over their care, preferably within 24-hours, but no later than 48 hours.
• If a student on an expedition has a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19, Outward Bound will consult local public health authorities to determine whether to have other students in the same group evacuated and/or tested.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Learn about how COVID-19 is impacting our courses and more.

           BROWSE FAQS

RESILIENT TOGETHER

See how the Outward Bound community is responding to the COVID-19 crisis with compassion, hope and resilience.

           RESILIENT TOGETHER