#Covid-19: How safe is it to use public swimming pools in a pandemic
Summer is upon us and as temperatures rise throughout the region, many residents are looking for ways to cool off such as splashing around in public pools. Thank goodness, with restrictions being gradually eased, the City of Ekurhuleni started to steadily reopen its public pools after they were closed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Summer is upon us and as temperatures rise throughout the region, many residents are looking for ways to cool off such as splashing around in public pools.
Thank goodness, with restrictions being gradually eased, the City of Ekurhuleni started to steadily reopen its public pools after they were closed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
But this time, like all other public activities, things are a bit different to ensure people use the facilities safely as the country continues to battle the pandemic.
Also, as more public pools reopen their doors and more residents are heading to the public amenities to take a dip, many people have had questions about the safety risks of going to a pool amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the City, as many experts noted, it’s safer for people to swim in properly treated public pools during the pandemic, but there are other risks to consider.
According to spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, the risks boils down to how close bathers are to each other and the number of people using the facility at one time.
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He pointed out that the biggest concern isn’t spreading the virus through the pool water, but the potential transmission of the virus in a crowded venue.
Many virologists have indicated that while properly treated pools’ water is quite safe from the virus, close contact when engaged in other activities with others above water and other sections of the amenities comes with risks.
To mitigate risks and make using the City’s pools a relatively safe activity, the City has, in line with Covid-19 regulations and recommendations made by experts, introduced mandatory protocols that must be followed at its public pools.
The ways to mitigate risks, include the establishment of a new maximum number of people allowed at the pool facility at one time to support social distancing, routinely disinfecting the amenities, and the use of masks when not in the pool water.
To stay safe, bathers are urged to avoid interacting with others nearby, especially maskless strangers, especially in the pool since you can’t wear a mask while in the water.
The City said it’s also a good idea to regularly sanitise your hands, especially after touching surfaces that can harbour the virus such as bathrooms and changing rooms door handles and taps.
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The following Covid-19-safe measures are implemented in the City’s facilities:
• Wear a face mask at all times inside and outside the facility, except when swimming. When swimming in the pool, masks are not advised out of safety concerns.
• Keep a distance of 1,5m while standing in the queue to get into the pool or in the pool space.
• Temperature screening and sanitation are done at access control points by security guards.
• Entrance hall fitted with a sanitiser dispenser, for personnel and bathers.
• Bathrooms and change rooms are fitted with soap dispensers and users are encouraged to wash their hands regularly when using the bathrooms or change rooms.
• Avoid crowding while in the pool deck by encouraging people to still maintain social distancing if not swimming in the pool.
• Toilets and change rooms are cleaned regularly to maintain a hygienic environment.
• Under alert level one, the stipulated maximum number of people allowed in outdoor gatherings is 2 000 and 750 for indoor spaces. However, most of the City’s pools cannot accommodate such numbers. Therefore, the City’s established maximum occupancy limit for bathers should not exceed 50% of the pool facilities’ usual indoor or outdoor maximum occupancy capacity.
• The bathing load provides for a social distance of two metres between bathers in the pool. For instance, the Brakpan pool has a bathing load of 800 people, but to be Covid-19 compliant the maximum number is capped at 400.
• Special PPE for pool personnel and lifeguards include two cloth face masks, one shield per lifeguard and latex disposable gloves.
• Each pool is supplied with Ambu (artificial manual breathing) unit. This is special equipment used to perform CPR under Covid conditions, to prevent the transmission of the virus from either the lifeguard to the patient and vice versa.
The City said its other pools such as the public pools in Van Dyk Park and Parkdene, remain closed for various reasons – including renovations, upgrades and recommissioning.
New positive case numbers in Ekurhuleni continue to have a downward trend according to the Ekurhuleni Covid-19 statistics.
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