Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson<\/strong> has questioned the closure of pools and expressed her disappointment they are not classed as essential services following the announcement of a second lockdown.<\/p>\n

Prime minister Boris Johnson<\/strong> said yesterday that a four-week lockdown in England will begin in the early hours of Thursday 5 November and will last until Wednesday 2 December during which time all indoor leisure facilities will be forced to close.<\/p>\n

It follows the sharp rise in coronavirus cases across England and means all gyms, leisure centres, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues will be closed.<\/p>\n

$\"Swim$
Photo Courtesy: Swim England<\/p><\/div>\n
Schools, universities and colleges will remain open along with supermarkets, chemists and takeaways while people will be able to exercise outdoors – although not in outdoor pools.<\/p>\n
There has been a vocal response from many in the fitness industry as well as past and present elite swimmers who point to the possible effects on both mental and physical health with Nickerson asking that swimming be redefined as essential.<\/a><\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWhilst I wholeheartedly support measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in our communities and commend the Government for taking decisive action, it is extremely disappointing and frustrating to see indoor leisure being forced to close again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have consistently made the case that aquatic activity is both safe and a lifeline for many people in such uncertain times and that leisure centres should therefore be considered an essential service.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the reopening of pools, leisure centres and gyms in July, we have seen that they are well-managed environments where the risk of transmission is low.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many people, the pool offers the only opportunity for them to be active \u2013 something that will be more important than ever during another lockdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, there are fewer options available to people to exercise through the cold winter months than there were during the first, summer, lockdown.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"Jane$
Photo Courtesy: Jane Nickerson Twitter<\/p><\/div>\n
So too did Nickerson underline the possible long-term ramifications for the industry with many facilities, pool providers and suppliers on a financial precipice from which there may be no return.<\/p>\n
That in turn will lead to job losses across the industry – a further human cost.<\/p>\n
She added:<\/p>\n
\u201cA second period of closure will push many facilities over the edge and there is the dangerous prospect of losing so many facilities for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo that extent, the Government must dig deep and find the necessary funding to ensure we don\u2019t see swimming pools and other leisure facilities permanently close.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they don\u2019t, we face the real risk of seeing a generation missing out on learning a vital life skill by learning to swim and enjoy the water safely, while our clubs and members will sadly not be able to take part in the sports they love.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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Can we start a campaign 2keep leisure facilities that help us all 2keep fit open? This is not spring now. We have Dark nights & bad weather. I don\u2019t want to bike outdoors today! What a great message for government to send… keep fitter look after the NHS @Swim_England<\/a> @danroan<\/a><\/p>\n
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) October 31, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n