Coronavirus and swim schools: Are swimming lessons still safe?
Are public pools a no-go zone?
As the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise and more events and social gathering are cancelled, parents are questioning whether or not it’s safe to continue with their child’s swimming lesson or even whether it’s advised to go for a dip at their local public pool.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there is no evidence the virus can survive in a properly chlorinated and filtered pool.
“There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools and hot tubs,” reads a statement on CDC’s site.
“Proper operation, maintenance, and disinfection (e.g., with chlorine and bromine) of pools and hot tubs should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Executive Officer of Swim Australia, Gary Toner says all public pools need to follow a stringent testing process.
“Most would be able to sanitise their pools for the removal of any type of virus,” Gary told news.com.au.
In some Australian states, large pool venues made the decision to close but this is more to do with social distancing and the number of people visiting the pool each day, rather than problems of swimming in pool water itself.
Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre was one of the venues to temporarily close in an effort to prevent COVID-19. The statement on their website reads:
“On Monday 16 March the Aquatic Centre closed to the general public following the Commonwealth Government’s decision on public gatherings until further notice.”
Melbourne City Baths also posted a notice today advising of temporary closure, citing a “precautionary measure to slow the spread of the virus.”
Brendon Ward, Chief Executive, Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association says he has been advising swim schools to remain open for now.
“The consensus and the direction we have been providing is that a swim school is akin to a school and the same sorts of things should apply.
“We are aware that if schools have had positive cases that they have closed down, the same thing would apply with a swim school.
“They would go through a complete cleansing process, make sure all their staff were tested; all the things a school would do are the same things a swim school should do.”
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