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Swim England has pleaded with the Government to ensure swimming doesn’t become leisure’s ‘forgotten activity’ after it was revealed that almost a third of public pools could remain closed for another six months. Indoor pools across the country are allowed to reopen on Saturday 25 July, 128 days after being forced to shut on 20 March as part of the nationwide effort to help curb the spread of Covid-19. However, less than 20 per cent of local authority-owned facilities will welcome swimmers back into the water on reopening day, and many of those will be at a reduced capacity. New research also shows 30 per cent of public pools may remain closed into 2021 due to the exceptional costs councils face to reopen facilities, coupled with the income lost during the lockdown period.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England chief executive, has reiterated her plea to the Government to step in and ensure that these facilities are given the financial support they need to survive. “We’re obviously delighted that pools have finally been given the green light to reopen for the first time in more than four months,” she said. “However, we face the real risk of swimming becoming a forgotten activity for so many people if public leisure centres open their gyms first and leave pools closed until next year. Before the lockdown, 4.7 million people a month were swimming regularly. It is such a unique activity in that it offers huge physical and mental health benefits, and helps save the NHS and social care system more than £357 million a year.”

Necessary, affordable facilities

“It would be short-sighted not to provide the necessary financial support to help facilities blighted by the pandemic. The savings made to the NHS alone would quickly more than recover the initial outlay. We share the frustrations of our members and affiliated clubs who still find themselves unable to enjoy the activities they love so dearly and we will keep fighting on their behalf to get them back into their pools as soon as possible.” Jane added that pools are also valuable commodities in local communities.

She said: “A local pool has the power to generate £7.2 million social value in community savings. We appreciate that finances across the country are stretched but it’s a no-brainer that we should invest in public leisure facilities. The #SaveLeisure campaign continues to have our backing and we urge the Government to provide the ring-fenced funding needed to help prevent significant market failure – which we know will hit less affluent areas hardest. Funding is also vital to help prevent facilities increasing the cost of going swimming. Water-based activity is loved by millions – and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that remains the case and people have the necessary, affordable facilities to enjoy the water.”

Issued 24 July 2020

Swim England is ‘proactively working’ on how it can take the next steps towards competitive activity – after announcing the numbers in some group training sessions can now increase. The latest Government guidelines on group numbers means Swim England has updated its Returning to the Pool guidance for clubs. While no national competitions are scheduled to take place this year, Swim England is looking at how it can safely take the next steps in the return of all its sports. George Wood, Swim England Sport Development Director, said: “Everyone who loves our sports has missed being able to train in the pools and once clubs start sessions, we know athletes will start to wonder when competitions can be held again. We will continue to be guided by the Government on when it will be safe to do so but we are proactively working on how we can take those next steps.”

Group sizes for training

Swim England’s Returning to the Pool guidance for clubs focuses on training activity rather than competitive training or competitions themselves.  Further information regarding competitions as Government guidance on numbers evolves and restrictions on numbers in gatherings relax will be developed. In preparation for the opening of pools on 25 July, Swim England has been following the latest Government guidance on group sizes. Clubs should note that the primary guidance in the Swim England Returning to the Pool document indicates a maximum bather load of 6 m2 per participant.  All activity must also be risk assessed and agreed with the pool operator.

Lane swimming

Clubs should group swimmers to train in a lane.  As far as is possible, that group should continue to train together in subsequent training sessions.  Examples of lane swimming protocols and numbers can be found in the guidance in ‘Guidance for Community Swimming‘ section and the Guidance for Clubs’ section of the Swim England Return to Pools guidance.

Water polo, diving and artistic swimming

Clubs should group participants to train together.  As far as is possible, that group should continue to train together in subsequent training sessions. At present, within Government guidance, the maximum group number for u18s is 15, plus coach(es). Clubs can identify how they can best group their participants to train together in groups of up to 15 maximum. More than one group can be training at one time but the club will need to maintain adequate separation between the groups to respect social-distancing guidance. The maximum number of adults in a group is five plus a coach. The club can have multiple groups of five training at one time led by the same or different coaches.  The club will need to maintain adequate separation between the groups to respect social-distancing guidance.

Land training

For u18s, clubs can now have groups of up to 15, subject to risk assessment and maintaining safety and safeguarding of participants. Swim England’s land training guidance will be updated accordingly. For adults, land training can be offered to groups of five (plus the coach) but multiple groups can train at one time under the guidance of the coach subject to risk assessment and maintaining the safety of participants.

Competitive activity 

Swim England is proactively looking at how it can take the next steps in the return of its sports and, in particular, competition in all of our disciplines. The Discipline Leadership Groups for each sport are working on this now and will be aiming to share more detail in September.

It is expected that all participants will require a significant block of training before recommencing competition and guidance to support coaches has been produced on this and will be published on Wednesday 22 July. The Government guidance around competition can change dependent on the situation with Covid-19, and Swim England will be monitoring these developments and seeking to build contingencies where necessary.

For competition in water polo and artistic swimming, Swim England will need to comply with the Government’s recently released Return to Recreational Team Sport Framework that deals with ‘competitive recreational activity’. Swim England will be working as quickly as possible to submit its plans to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. For the moment, however, the guidance for water polo and artistic swimming is very clearly focused on training activities that are not ‘competitive’ and maintain social distancing throughout. For that reason, Swim England is confident that this can commence from 25 July when pools open as long as clubs adhere to the guidance.

Issued 20 July 2020

Swim England’s Head of Facilities, Richard Lamburn, has more than ten years experience in the management of swimming facilities. Here, he answers some of the common questions following the new government guidance relating to the reopening of swimming pools.

Does the chlorine in the swimming pool water make it a safe environment?

Until a vaccination or treatment for Covid-19 is found there are always risks when undertaking any activity. Swimming pools are well managed spaces with numerous risk control measures in place.

The World Health Organisation states that: “Conventional, centralised water treatment methods that utilise filtration and disinfection should inactivate the Covid-19 virus. Other human coronaviruses have been shown to be sensitive to chlorination and disinfection with ultraviolet (UV) light.”

The Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG) states that: “The available evidence shows that the physical effect of the pool water and an appropriate relationship between free chlorine and pH value should inactivate the virus within 15-30 seconds. The dilution of virus in the pool water volume will also reduce the risk of exposure and transmission.”

Furthermore, Swim England’s Returning to Pools guidance and PWTAG technical notes have been produced in consultation with Public Health England, supporting the view that coronavirus would be inactivated at the levels of chlorine used in swimming pools. We are recommending additional measures to further reduce the risks, such as maintaining social distancing wherever possible and not sharing equipment.

Is airborne transmission of the virus a particular problem in swimming pools?

The air circulation systems within pool halls are designed to undertake at least four complete air changes every hour. Alongside this addition of fresh air our pool hall air circulation systems are designed to remove the air above the surface, which in turn should assist in removing airborne transmission of viruses. There is also anecdotal evidence that suggest that higher temperatures and humidities we have in pools can play a positive effect in reducing transmission of airborne particles. Again, we are also recommending further risk control measures such as maintaining social distance wherever possible, reducing the maximum number of swimmers allowed in a pool at any time, widening lanes where appropriate, ensuring each lane swims in the same direction and encouraging swimmers to breathe to the other side when crossing within a lane.

Traditionally during lane swimming, lanes would alternate between clockwise and counter clockwise swimming. Why have you recommended changing this?

This is linked to the previous point about reducing the risk of airborne transmission of the virus. By changing the lane rotation we can decrease the instances of people passing closely to other swimmers.

The Government guidance states that the maximum bather load is three square metres per swimmer. This is different to your guidance, why?

The maximum bather load of three square metres per swimmer as currently stated in the Government guidance was the maximum bather load pre Covid-19. It would not be possible to maintain social distancing if this was adhered to. We believe this to be an error within the Government guidance and we have raised this with the department for clarification and amending. We worked closely with the department on their guidance and this figure was not included in any of the discussions we had. Pool operators should follow our guidance on maximum bather loads to ensure social distancing can be maintained.

Can groups of more than six people go swimming?

Yes. The Government guidance states that Covid secure venues, such as swimming pools, can host larger groups.

Issued 10 July 2020

Swim England has praised the patience and support of the aquatics community after swimming pools were finally given the green light to start reopening. CEO Jane Nickerson has also vowed that the national governing body will now do everything in its power to support facilities that could be mothballed due to financial hardship.

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport announced that outdoor pools will be allowed to reopen from Saturday 11 July, with indoor pools to begin reopening from Saturday 25 July, the first time since 20 March. The announcement was made 16 days after Swim England launched its  #OpenOurPools campaign, which was backed by tens of thousands across the country. Nearly 55,000 signed the petition calling on the Government to reconsider its decision not to open pools alongside hotels, restaurants, pubs and cinemas on 4 July. Thousands more posted vocal messages on social media and the campaign received support from a significant number of Olympians and Paralympians.

Commenting on the announcement, Jane Nickerson said: “This is a victory for the people who have been desperate to get back into the water for several months. Their 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. When we needed their support, they backed us in their tens of thousands – and we can’t thank them enought for that. We 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’d ask swimmers to remain patient a little while longer.”

Integral and important part of every community

Jane also renewed the battle for the Government to financially help pools that are at risk of permanent closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, by ensuring there is ring-fenced funding for swimming pools and leisure facilities. She said: “Now we know when pools can start to reopen, our focus turns to fighting for those facilities that are facing an uncertain future due to financial difficulties caused by the lockdown to curb this awful pandemic. Aquatic activity has been proven to improve people’s physical and mental health, helping save the health and social care system more than £357 million a year. We realise the public purse is under considerable pressure but spending money now to help keep pools open rather than letting them close down forever will help save millions in the long-term. Even before this outbreak, we were forecasting a shortage of facilities over the next 10-20 years and this problem will only be exacerbated by the loss of pools as a result of Covid-19. These pools are an integral and important part of every community and we’ll do everything we can to help ensure that remains the case.”

Issued 9 July 2020

Swim England Chief Executive Jane Nickerson has written to the Prime Minister to ‘stress the urgent need’ to announce a date when swimming pools can reopen. The Government has hinted that leisure facilities will be able to open doors for business again following the Covid-19 lockdown around 4 July, but has yet to publish its guidance on how this will be implemented. However, it will take pool operators at least 14 days to get facilities ready for customers again, meaning that many could still be closed on 4 July even if the go-ahead to reopen has been given before then.

Swim England published its Returning to the Pool guidance on 16 June and has been working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the Government’s guidelines for reopening leisure facilities. Now the national governing body has called on Boris Johnson to provide some clarity to swimming pool operators and swim school teachers across the country.

In the letter, the Swim England CEO wrote: “There is growing frustration at the continued delay in publishing these guidelines, preventing swimming pool operators, swimming clubs, swim schools and other learn to swim providers from being able to fully prepare their businesses, staff and clients for reopening. Swimming pool operators and swim schools/teachers have been unable to trade for months and are unable to plan effectively in the absence of guidance outlining the conditions they will need to operate under. We understand the latest advice is that these services will not reopen until 4 July at the earliest but swimming pools need adequate time – at least two weeks – to redesign their premises, train staff, bring their swimming pool back up to operational standards, communicate with clients regarding operational changes, implement adequate hygiene standards and come to terms with the changes necessary to ensure the safety of themselves and their clients. We therefore urge you to publish the guidance without any further delay. We are available to provide any support necessary in order to ensure this outcome.”

Plea for additional financial support

Jane Nickerson has also reiterated the call for financial support to help the hundreds of pools that are at risk of staying shut even after restrictions are eased by Government. She wrote: “Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has rightly championed the importance of physical activity – this is a sentiment we wholeheartedly support. Before the lockdown, 14 million adults in England went swimming in the last year, making it one of the most popular activities. Swimming pools provide hubs of physical activity in communities up and down the country, generating huge social value for these areas. However, without urgent additional financial support, hundreds of swimming pools up and down the country will not be able to reopen, even when the Government declares it safe to do so, exacerbating health inequalities for the many people who find exercising on land difficult as a result of their health conditions. It is therefore vital that as well as the publication of guidance for leisure facilities, there is additional financial support for swimming pools.”

Issued 19 June 2020