Many community pools are closed this summer because of the COVID pandemic, in some areas almost all of them are closed. There is a simple explanation for this, namely the restrictions and dangers arising from this dangerous situation.
At first glance, the requirements for community pools do not appear to be so serious: maximum number of visitors 75%, minimum distance 1.5 metres and regular cleaning and disinfection of the pool area. In practice, however, these rules turn out to be major hurdles. The maximum number of visitors is not simply 75%, but the minimum distance must also be taken into account. For this purpose, the sunbathing areas of the pool should be divided into zones so that there is enough distance between the individual families. In the water itself the guideline is 2 square meters per person. For example, in a pool of 10 by 20 metres, a maximum of 100 people may be in the pool. Until then, all this may still be feasible. But who controls that? Since, as numerous press reports have shown, unfortunately one cannot rely on the self-control of the visitors, this must be checked by security personnel. And for most communities this is a cost factor that far exceeds the planned budget. By the way, a possibly existing lifeguard should not be allowed to do this, because it would distract him from his actual work. It’s the same with cleaning. The times planned for the normal cleaning of the pool are not sufficient for the additional cleaning and disinfection, so here, too, there are additional costs for the community. Therefore, many communities have decided not to open the pool this year.