Outdoor swimming pools can reopen from Saturday 11 July in England with indoor pools able to open their doors again from Monday 11 July, the Government has announced.<\/p>\n

The announcement – which many felt was long overdue – was made by Oliver Dowden<\/strong>, Secretary of State<\/b>\u00a0for Digital,\u00a0Culture, Media and Sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hathersage Swimming Pool: Photo Courtesy: Liz Byrnes<\/p><\/div>\n
He said in a press conference:<\/p>\n
“Today there is good news for our nation’s fitness. As we all know exercise is incredibly important for both physical and mental health.<\/p>\n
“Even at the height of the lockdown it was considered an essential activity with countless people hitting their parks for their daily run or transforming their living rooms into temporary gyms.<\/p>\n
“From this weekend onwards millions of people will be able to rejoin their local sports teams as soon as their organisations publish approved guidance.<\/p>\n
“From this Saturday they will be able to enjoy outdoor pools and water parks.<\/p>\n
“From Saturday 25 people will no longer have to work out in their park or living room floor, they’ll be able to get back into their gyms, their indoor swimming pools, their leisure centres and jump on that spin bike or treadmill for the first time in months.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Venues must observe social distancing before, during and after participation.<\/p>\n
It follows over a fortnight of intense lobbying by Swim England<\/strong> after Prime Minister Boris Johnson<\/strong> gave the green light for pubs, restaurants, hair salons, cinemas and museums to open for business once again from last Saturday, July 4 only for pools to be overlooked.<\/p>\n
Swim England CEO Jane Nickerson<\/strong> had called for scientific evidence as to why they remained closed\u00a0while the #OpenOurPools campaign was launched following the news last month which won backing from past and present Olympic champions Becky Adlington and Adam Peaty.<\/a><\/p>\n
A petition collected more almost 55,000 signatures<\/a> which was then handed to the Government and last week a delegation of Government and public health officials were shown how facilities can operate safely with a tour of four pools, indoor and outdoor.<\/p>\n
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Photo Courtesy: Swim England<\/p><\/div>\n
Nickerson said in response to Thursday’s announcement:<\/p>\n
“This is a victory for the people who have been desperate to get back into the water for several months.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir frustration has been understandable but they have shown incredible patience and resolve. We celebrate alongside them the fact they can soon start enjoying the activities they love once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we needed their support, they backed us in their tens of thousands \u2013 and\u00a0 we can\u2019t thank them enough<\/a>\u00a0for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that pools need time to get their facilities up and running again after being closed for so long. Many outdoor pools will not be ready to open from this weekend and some indoor pools may not be ready to open on 25 July, so we\u2019d ask swimmers to remain patient a little while longer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Peaty, the Olympic 100m breaststroke champion, posted on social media, saying:<\/p>\n
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Great to hear pools and gyms opening soon, I hope they get the financial support from the government that some of them will desperately need. May have something planned for everyone who has been away from their club…<\/p>\n
— Adam Peaty OBE (@adam_peaty) July 9, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n