Petition Urging Governor Newsom To Open California Pools By Early June Backed By 5 USA Swimming LSCs

Photo Courtesy: San Diego Shores

A petition launched by swimmer Madison Blackwell calling on Californian Governor Gavin Newsom to help get pools opened up for safe lap swimming has breached 10,000 on its way to a first target of 15,000 – and rising fast.

California Pools have been in lockdown for more than six weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As pool operators, clubs, safety experts and others form strategies for safe returns to the water as lockdown measures ease, petitions to get pools opened sooner rather than later have been mounting across the United States.

While other programs remained close this month, coach Mark Schubert at Mission Viejo in California, wrote a proposal to the city of Mission Viejo and got the green light to train a small group as long as they adhered to strict social distancing guidelines. The Mayor in Mission Viejo is former Schubert charge Brian Goodell, the Olympic 400m and 1500m freestyle champion of 1976.

Down in San Diego, David Marsh, head of Team Elite, has urged Governor Newsom to open public pools, because without it he will not be able to return his pro swimmers to practice.

Yesterday, a letter penned by a Who’s Who of Olympic champions and medallists, as well as coaches and swimming industry operators, was sent to President Donald Trump asking for help in persuading state governors to get pools opened safely in time for summer. On the same day, USA Swimming released its open-up safely open water guidelines.

The moves come at a time when the United States has 1.15m COVID-19 current infections from the 1.73m reported to have been infected. The U.S. mortality rate from COVID-19 now stands at 100,755. Infection rates continue to rise in 17 states, according to latest official statistics.

This morning in California, the five LSC’s of USA Swimming have issued the following statement in support of young Madison’s plea to Newsom to get California pools opened by early June:

“Since the start of Phase II of Reopening California due to the California Order, leadership in the Five LSCs of USA Swimming have been communicating how to plan to open pools safely for lap swim to schools, cities, county, and state government and public health officials. We know that we can conduct swim practices safely while following the already stated necessary social distancing and sanitation requirements similar to those being used to open restaurants.

“We are thrilled that one of our athletes in the Bay Area over the Memorial Day Weekend, started a petition to Governor Newsom and State Public Health Officials stating that California pools could be opened safely for organized lap swimming during Phase II of reopening.

“The ticker on the page is still climbing. She has had an incredible response and so far at the time of this release has just over 10,000 people signed on change.org (see the link below). We are so appreciative that she started a petition to help this effort and that the swimmers and families have supported her so enthusiastically across the state of her efforts and the overwhelming support of our swimming community. This clearly demonstrates that the athletes, families and coaches involved in swimming know that we are ready to partner with Local, State and Federal Agencies to plan a safe return to lap swimming during Phase II.

“We hope that the governor and public health officials listen to our ongoing requests and allow the more than 40,000 swimmers in the State to return to the pool by June 1st.

“We have submitted plans through the portal provided by the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force. We hope that the Governor and the Public Health Officials will review our detailed plans to return to the pool and that we are successfully back swimming again at the beginning of June.

Their full letter to the governor, signed by all five LSC leaders, can be read in full here.

Additional information about the petition can be found at Change.Org

Further information on California Pools and Programs:

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