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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

Swimming pool users will have to adapt to a ‘new normal’ to ensure the safety of everyone visiting and working at facilities, according to guidance published by Swim England today. The national governing body has issued its’ Returning to the Pool advice ahead of the Government giving the green light for a return to the water. Included in the five detailed documents are robust recommendations for operators, casual swimmers, lane swimming, family-fun sessions, club activity, teachers and those attending swimming lessons.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England Chief Executive, thanked everyone who had contributed to the in-depth guidance. She said: “We have all been missing the water during the Covid-19 enforced closure of swimming pools. Swim England is therefore delighted to be able to produce this guidance to help ensure the safe return to the water once swimming pools are allowed to open again. Our first priority remains the safety of everyone involved in our sports, be they participants, leisure centre staff, coaches or volunteers. When pools reopen, it will not be a case of ‘business as usual’ and we know that things will have to be different. However, if we are to play our part in protecting the NHS from another wave of Covid-19 admissions, it is important we follow the latest guidance and adjust to the new ‘normal’.

The Swim England CEO reiterated that “This guidance has been produced in collaboration with experts from across the sector and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to its creation” and added that the decision to reopen pools rests with the Government, warning that even when the date is announced, some facilities might not be open immediately. She continued: “While the guidance contains vital information on how to reopen facilities, unfortunately it doesn’t include the key date on when pools can open. We will continue to lobby the Government for a reopening date but, ultimately, we have to be guided by them on this. There has been plenty of Covid-19 guidance produced but we have not simply followed other countries leads on this. Our dedicated staff have worked tirelessly to create robust recommendations that are fit for purpose and cover all aspects of aquatic activity. It’s a living, breathing document that will be regularly updated but we hope it gives our members, clubs, teachers, coaches, swim schools and pool operators the clarity they need to move forward together as a sector – safely and confidently.”

The Swim England guidance specifically covers the use of the pool. All advice around leisure centre’s wider space, such as reception and changing rooms, will be issued by the Government at a later date.

Issued 15 June

Dorset’s Weyport Masters SC is the first club in the South West Region to be awarded Stronger Affiliation. The Swim England portal for submissions only went live on Monday 1 June, so the club has not wasted any time in accomplishing the task. Congratulations Weyport Masters – job well done!