{"id":432607,"date":"2020-05-20T04:52:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T11:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=432607"},"modified":"2020-05-21T14:50:09","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T21:50:09","slug":"water-safety-usa-renews-calls-for-swim-organizations-to-help-develop-national-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/water-safety-usa-renews-calls-for-swim-organizations-to-help-develop-national-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Safety USA Renews Calls For Swim Organizations To Help Develop National Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

A steering committee formed by\u00a0Water Safety USA<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has renewed calls for stakeholders and interested parties to join efforts to develop a U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan<\/strong><\/a> that will now take into account the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Renewed efforts by Water Safety partners to engage with stakeholders coincides with updated information from the<\/strong> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/strong><\/a> in the United States that speaks directly to pool operators and users and aimed at “Promoting Behaviors that Prevent the Spread of COVID-19” and “Maintaining Healthy Environments”.<\/p>\n

Water Safety USA initiated a process to develop a U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan following a recommendation to all members of the World Health Organisation (WHO)<\/a><\/strong> in its 2014 Global Drowning Report<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s National Plan initiative, which started in 2018 is set to conclude in 2021 but now has an extra tier of work to do related to issues highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic – is being led by a Steering Committee with representation from national organizations including USA Swimming<\/strong><\/a>, the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Make the Minute Matter, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Safe Kids Worldwide, USA Swimming, YMCA<\/strong> and the ZAC Foundation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of those partners have issued renewed calls this week for stakeholders to join the effort and bring their expertise to the table.<\/p>\n

As swimming revival strategies are being planned at many levels, from elite sport to teaching and the leisure sector, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown easing,\u00a0Water Safety USA’s invitation is to any who wish to\u00a0join “a Working Group as a member, key informant, or reviewer”, starting with completing an Engagement Survey<\/a> to indicate their specific area of interest. In its invitation, Water Safety notes:<\/p>\n

“The Steering Committee understands the importance of ensuring the input from a broad spectrum of stakeholders as we move through the development process, and as a result, we have built a number of opportunities for input into the process as the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan is developed. You can help by contributing to a Working Group as a member, key informant, or reviewer.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Water Safety USA & Updated CDC Guidance For Pool Operators and Users<\/h3>\n

The “Considerations for Public Pools, Hot Tubs, and Water Playgrounds During COVID-19” guidance regularly updated by the CDC now stretches to a section “Promoting Behaviors that Prevent the Spread of COVID-19” and the following that speaks to many of the points made by Prof. Vincenzo Spica in a COVID-19 Swimming Pool Study<\/strong><\/a> underway in partnership with Myrtha Pools.<\/p>\n