Summer is Here: Is Your Pool Safe From Coronavirus? Questions to Ask

Coronavirus Questions to Ask

With Memorial Day here in the United States, that means we have hit the point where pool time is expected and families look to gather under the sun.

However, depending on which part of the world and country people reside, the opening of pools will vary. If pools are given the green light to open, how safe are they? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a lack of evidence that the coronavirus can be spread to people by water in swimming pools, hot tubs and water/sprinkler parks.

The biggest issue is how these facilities handle social-distancing guidelines and operate their daily schedules. With many children flocking to pools, the chance of big groups of people exist. It is imperative that pool managers implement a schedule and program that promotes a safe environment outside of the water. Some concerns do not immediately come to mind, but must be considered.

“The bigger issue is that you have to change in shared locker rooms, and people are often touching their mouths, nose and face and then touching the lockers,” said Dr. Michael Ison, an infectious disease physician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, in an interview with NBC Chicago.

Ison recommended that with pool-goers touching ladders, floats, water fountains and vests, among other items, people must wash their hands frequently, including before and after they enter the pool. Ison suggested that the following questions are asked of individual pools and their coordinators in order to gauge what types of protocols are in place:

What are you doing to clean and disinfect the pool and its amenities?
How will social distancing be enforced?
What will you do if someone tests positive?
How do I know my child will be safe?
What must I be aware of to ensure that the lifeguard and staff there to help deliver a safe environment for my child will also be safe?

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Doug Schack

3 years ago

Wash your hands, sanitize your hands, don’t touch your face, don’t touch anything you don’t need to. Let’s get in the pool!

Pamela Goldsbro

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Doug Schack … don’t touch the toilet door, don’t touch the entry gate, don’t touch the faucet, don’t touch the gear cage, don’t touch the wrong water bottle.

Doug Schack

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Pamela Goldsbro or wash and sanitize you’re hands after you do touch those things. And don’t touch your face. Can’t let this control us.

Pamela Goldsbro

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Doug Schack … in a perfect world. Never assume the intelligence, or lack there off, of the average person.

Doug Schack

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Pamela Goldsbro these are things WE can do. Doesn’t require any intelligence from anyone else.

Pam Smith

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Doug Schack also this virus is shed fecal route as well- so consider that in a pool- and if you think about competitive swimmers- snot blown into pool, spit, cough all into the water. Our senior group is 2 1/2 hours 6 days a week and three mornings a week- how are you going to wash your hands free of 8 kids per lane doing that on the wall?? Then account for the fecal shedding. Ever seen learn to swim kids? Young age groupers? Disabled or physical impaired using pool for therapy?

Doug Schack

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Pam Smith proper chlorine levels and water turnover rates? If you’re fear gripped then maybe a quick return to the pool isn’t for you.

Pam Smith

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Doug Schack I’m actually in healthcare so gripped with fear wouldn’t be a word to use in the same sentence as me. Clearly you haven’t seen firsthand the damage this virus has done to healthy people. It’s a real shame you don’t see the complexity of the situation and all the risks involved to both the kids and coaches. That’s only looking at competitive swimmers. Factor in spectators, facility staff and the list goes on… until there is a vaccine or appropriate treatment or better understanding of antibodies and the utility of them, the entire world (not limiting to the pool) will not ever be the same.

Judy E.

3 years ago

Reply to Pam Smith

Thank you, Pam & Doug. I have a 14 year old who SO wants to return to his swim team and our club is inviting all the team to return 6/15/20. You’ve given two views of this issue and that is the important part – that we can share our knowledge & views. I support you both — because those who decide they want to get back in the water should go ahead, best practices in place. Those of us who don’t, should not – in my case, not fold under the pressure in either direction. I hope we continue to think of each other in our decisions, and realize that “your” decision affects us all.

Tony Trefoil

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Pam duo is spot on

Erin Tobias

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Doug Schack don’t cough, breath, or gasp for air during your workout either.

Rainer A Parada

3 years ago

Very clear! Impossible Not to get infected.

Peter Scott

3 years ago

Reply to Rainer A Parada

Rainer A Parada maybe not necessarily impossible but certainly rather likely to promote the spread……..getting some kids to swim in a clockwise direction or getting people to shower before is difficult enough…… with all these supposed ‘clever’ ways of managing a pool in the midst of a lethal pandemic impossible to enforce……..results are likely to be extending the impact of the virus….?stay safe?

Open da Lap lanes

3 years ago

Reply to Peter Scott

Oh and golf courses seem any better?

Anonymous

3 years ago

Reply to Peter Scott

And when a asymptomatic swimmer needs to sneeze or cough and the virus flew right into your mouth as u were catching a routine breathe. That’s the time when u will finally realised why some people have the sher luck of striking lottery.

Peter Scott

3 years ago

Reply to Rainer A Parada

Not to mention that there are people commenting on this site that would be complaining that their rights to ‘freedom’ would be threatened if they were asked to shower………

Anonymous

3 years ago

Reply to Rainer A Parada

Exactly!!!

Anne-Marie Tucker

3 years ago

How about lap swimming? No locker rooms!! Just close them. The ladder could be a thing. . .

Doug Schack

3 years ago

Reply to Anne-Marie Tucker

Anne-Marie Tucker do you use the ladder to get in or get out? If enough people use the ladder to get out of the pool it will be constantly washed down in chlorinated water. It will be theoretically just as clean as the pool itself.

Jason

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

How about no pools are not more important than people’s lives,so keep the pools closed. It you want a pool go buy one and put it in your yard. The problem is some people are just so stupid that they put pools as more important than people’s lives. Yes things suck right now, but whatever we have to go with out something’s right now to keep people safe.

Anne-Marie Tucker

3 years ago

Reply to Anne-Marie Tucker

Doug Schack I DO use the ladder to get out. Can’t “hop out” anymore. I feel like swimming with masters (my version of swimming) could be pretty safe. Fingers crossed.

Patti Matthew

3 years ago

Andrew

Jennifer Williams

3 years ago

How about NO. There is NO evidence. There is no corona virus pool hot spot. Is there? Why are just accepting this misinformation?

Todd Meyer

3 years ago

I love the little ones but they can wait. Open the pools for exercise. Golf, tennis and pickle ball are ok?!?!? High school age and up. Lap swimming only. I played in a garden hose when I was growing up!! No locker rooms, no sun bathing… exercise only.

Nancy Lee

3 years ago

Swim and go

Cara Jones

3 years ago

Are you serious with that question?

Jennifer Chu

3 years ago

Of course, all infections spread in water, so of course the answer is Yes!

Ann C Gallacher

3 years ago

I really believe patience is required in returning to a pool to train. There is not enough known about Covid-19 to even consider taking a huge risk on yours and other’s lives.

Genevieve Symonds

3 years ago

Chlorine kills the virus and it cannot be transmitted in chlorinated water. Safest place to be!

Anonymous

3 years ago

Reply to Genevieve Symonds

i have not yet seen the medical evidence that chlorine kills the virus, I have only heard it “stated” that this is valid!

Steve Landers

3 years ago

keep the chlorine high

David Abineri

3 years ago

i have not yet seen the medical evidence that chlorine kills the virus, I have only heard it “stated” that this is valid!

Staci Hollingsworth Roberson

3 years ago

Open the pools up!

Maranda Bell

3 years ago

Open the pools kids can distance in locker rooms.

Barbara Leuly

3 years ago

Open the pools!

Doug Schack

3 years ago

So now the deluge of every post “is the water safe”? Of course it is. It probably always was.

Sarah McNew

3 years ago

Reply to Doug Schack

Doug Schack Swim!!!!!!

Patsy Patterson Martin

3 years ago

Chlorine kills this virus. open the pools

Andrew Webber

3 years ago

Reply to Patsy Patterson Martin

Patsy Patterson Martin think it through, does it kill the virus in the air above the pool? Can you be at least 2 metres from others in the pool? Do you share any surfaces at the pool?

Linda Alamprese Serrano

3 years ago

Open the pools!

Andy Gallion

3 years ago

Free my people

Ja Bounce

3 years ago

Most Pools (on ave) run aroun 1.0/1.5… SOME (depending on Bather load )will run as high as 3.0 (free chlorine residual of at least 1.0 mg/l (depending on pool type and disinfectant used – & if said facilities is Open Air or Dome covered – can throw in CLEAN WATER SOURCE (not all have this, let’s be truthful about that part). Most if not all Coaches for Swimming/Water Polo WILL ALWAYS do the right thing for the protection of Athletes… Soooooo I say SWIM/PLAY ON!!!

Ja Bounce

3 years ago

Reply to Ja Bounce

March 5th 2020 https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/environmentalhealthguidance/Advice%20note%20to%20EHS%20on%20Coronavirus%20and%20Drinking%20%20Water%20and%20Swimming%20Pools_V3.pdf

Ja Bounce

3 years ago

Reply to Ja Bounce

CONCLUSION:
Chlorine disinfection seems to be the best available technology for coliform and bacteria inactivation. And it is of fairly low toxicological hazard due to the transformation of monochloramine. (From 2006 study from National Center for Biotechnologhy Information (direct link – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16944772)…

Andrew Webber

3 years ago

Reply to Ja Bounce

Ja Bounce leaving aside the obvious problems with swimming, if you think playing water polo isn’t going to transmit this virus you’re off your head. Yes chlorine kills it, but so what? We’d have to get to the pool safely, then stay underwater for that to make any difference. You carry on with that if you like….