{"id":432980,"date":"2020-05-22T19:48:13","date_gmt":"2020-05-23T02:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=432980"},"modified":"2020-05-22T19:48:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-23T02:48:13","slug":"citing-water-safety-washington-petitions-to-accelerate-pool-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/citing-water-safety-washington-petitions-to-accelerate-pool-reopening\/","title":{"rendered":"Citing Water Safety, Washington Petitions to Accelerate Pool Reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stakeholders in Washington state are lobbying Gov. Jay Inslee<\/strong> to include swimming pools in an earlier phase of the state\u2019s reopening via an online petition.<\/p>\n

The petition, \u201cRequest to Open Pools in Washington<\/a>,\u201d has attracted just shy of 4,000 signatures as of Friday evening. Similar efforts are ongoing in Colorado<\/a> and Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s effort involves a dispute of when and how pools can reopen. Washington\u2019s recovery from COVID-19 is unfolding according to a four-phase plan, “Safe Start Washington<\/a>.” Pools are set to reopen in Phase 3, as \u201crecreational facilities at < 50 percent capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

But coaches like David Orr,<\/strong> the executive director and head coach at Cascade Swim Club, want to convey to Inslee that not all swimming facilities should be grouped under the same heading. Facilities in the state have drastically different operating capacities and thus risk profiles for COVID-19 transmission.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t think they understand it as well,\u201d Alice Godfred,<\/strong> the head coach and owner of Olympic Cascade Aquatics, told Swimming World<\/em> Friday. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the biggest hurdle, to get our voice heard and make them understand that this can be a very safe activity, especially for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coaches in Washington hope to get a phased-in opening, what Orr and Godfred likened to a \u201csoft opening.\u201d Under that plan, swimming pools would be included in Phase 2 at a capacity lower than 50 percent capacity (likely less than 25 percent, probably starting at one to two swimmers per lane as per USA Swimming guidelines). That will allow clubs to train personnel in new procedures and acclimate swimmers to the new protocols before ramping up operations. They can start with easier or more pertinent tasks \u2013 like lap swimming or learn-to-swim classes \u2013 and gradually increase offerings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very important, as it is in other sectors, to allow us to phase up,\u201d Orr said. \u201cTo get the governor\u2019s attention, I think it\u2019s far more important to represent all of aquatics and for all of aquatics to come together with one voice. \u2026 This is a drive for us to come together and respectfully request of the governor to phase in swimming, phase in the opening of pools earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effort has the support of the local swimming committee, Pacific Northwest Swimming, to which Godfred serves as the coaches representative. PNS convened a meeting this week of 147 stakeholders, from private and public clubs to summer teams, to inform Orr\u2019s efforts. PNS has also published a letter on its website<\/a> supporting a phased opening. PNS represents some 6,500 swimmers. All told between masters, recreational summer teams, YMCA and high schools, Orr estimates more than 10,000 swimmers in the state are out of the water.<\/p>\n

Orr has worked directly with the governor\u2019s office, particularly Inslee\u2019s Senior Policy Advisor on Outdoor Recreation & Economic Development, Jon Snyder<\/strong>. The hope is for the governor to clarify the stance on pools, akin to what his office did this week with a proclamation regarding centers for \u201cfitness and training<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Among the government concerns, Orr said, are issues of staffing and social-distancing for lifeguards. The former falls under the category of hiring freezes and could create imbalance in the Washington landscape if private clubs open before public ones. Orr\u2019s Cascade Swim Club, for instance, practices at eight facilities. He\u2019s braced for having to tailor opening plans for each and also to improvise if some can\u2019t open.<\/p>\n

None of this will reopen pools immediately. Washington was one of the early epicenters of the COVID-19 outbreak, but it was successful in flattening its case curve. As of Friday<\/a>, it has seen 20,274 cases of COVID-19 and 1,061 deaths. But its per capita infection rate of 266 cases per 100,000 people ranks just 27th among states.<\/p>\n

Inslee has taken a conservative tack in reopening. Only 14 of 39 counties had entered Phase 2<\/a> as of Friday. Another 11 counties are eligible to apply for Phase 2, leaving 14 counties mired in Phase 1. Orr and Godfred estimate it could be another four to six weeks before their areas reach Phase 3, leaving a shift to Phase 2 as their best hope to salvage the summer season.<\/p>\n

The issue of pool reopening takes on heightened urgency because of Washington\u2019s ample coastlines and natural waterways. Godfred, for instance, lives on Mercer Island. Closed pools will drive swimmers, some of them underprepared, into more dangerous waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are worried about the impact on youth, and the longer we go without teaching swim lessons is critical,” Orr said. “It could have a very adverse effect on the drowning rates in the state. That\u2019s not something to make light of. That\u2019s a real, real concern. You\u2019re forcing everybody to go into more dangerous water than controlled water that has guards and coaches. We\u2019d much prefer that we get back to our controlled environment, and we all have ways of making that work at every single phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swimming Through a Pandemic<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The postponements and cancellations wrought by COVID-19 haven\u2019t just affected the Olympics and the ranks of elite swimmers. They\u2019ve trickled down to neighborhood clubs and summer youth leagues, affecting thousands of recreational and competitive swimmers alike. Here is some of our coverage of COVID-19\u2019s effect on the American summer swimming calendar.<\/em><\/p>\n