Well it’s safe to say that things have changed quite a bit since we spoke last! With COVID-19 keeping everyone home and the weather warming up, you’re probably wondering how it impacts your swimming pool. Is it safe to swim in the water? Are there any special safety precautions we should take, etc. That’s what we’re here to help answer today.
So is it safe to swim?
Right off the bat – we can tell you that yes, it’s safe to swim in your pool. According to the World Health Organization, that COVID-19 is killed by 0.5ppm or more of chlorine in the water as well as other, standard methods of disinfection. So that’s good news! You can splash and play in your pool to your heart’s content during lockdown.
But that’s not where we stop
While it’s great that swimming pools are a thing we can still use during a pandemic, there are a lot things that are worth keeping in mind during all of this – particularly with regard to water safety – specifically by making sure we keep our pool areas clean.
- Skim your pool of leaves and debris
- Brush the pool walls to remove sediment
- Vacuum the bottom of your pool
- Clean out your skimmers
- Clean your pool equipment
- Check your filter
- Keep on testing your water to make sure chemicals are at the levels they should be at
Keeping your pool area clean will give you one heck of a place to enjoy while we’re all off the grid.
A time to re-emphasize safety
With your pool being a safe place to play, we’re sure it’s probably going to get more use than normal and while that’s great – what you can’t afford is for an accident to happen. That means someone gets hurt, goes to a hospital and well, no one wants to be at a hospital during a global pandemic. Emphasizing safety is more important than ever.
- Keep your pool area closed, especially your gate
- Don’t ever swim alone
- Don’t leave kids unattended
- Follow all the posted safety rules – no diving, running, glass, etc.)
- Stay away from drains
- Don’t swim during inclement weather
The truth is – our pools are going to be a real oasis while this all continues. It’ll get you outside, help ease stress, get you some exercise and some much needed fun. It can be a real solution for depression, too. But like we said – make sure you plan on the additional traffic, keep things clean and make sure everyone’s safe while swimming. Stay safe, stay healthy and hopefully we’ll be through all this soon!