Lifesaving Society pushes for pools to reopen for children's safety

An aquatic safety expert is advocating for Windsor-Essex to re-open its pools and beaches to ensure that when people do swim, they can stay safe and have lifeguard supervision. 

Indoor and outdoor pools in Windsor-Essex have remained closed since the pandemic began. But as the region gears up to re-open splash pads and other outdoor activities, some suggest that the city should allow swimming facilities to re-open as well. 

Under Stage 2, municipalities can choose to re-open pools, but many in Ontario, including the City of Windsor, have decided to keep them shut as they decide on how to provide these services with COVID-19 precautions. 

In keeping these spaces closed, Lifesaving Society safety management director Michael Shane said it prevents young people from taking swimming lessons, which could threaten their safety. 

"[Teaching kids how to swim] is a key way of preventing drownings," Shane told CBC's Windsor Morning. "We know that in Canada, over 400 people drown every year." 

The Lifesaving Society is a charity that seeks to prevent drowning and water-related injury by providing training programs, education and safety management services. 

"Trying to teach them to swim while not maintaining contact is difficult and we feel that that provision should be lifted and instructors [should] be able to get back into the pool and teach swim lessons," Shane said, adding that this can be safely done by implementing other COVID-19 protocols. 

He said that instructors and lifeguards can wear personal protective equipment and he suggested that parents get into the pool to help with the swim lessons, specifically for instances where personal contact is needed. 

Manager of Windsor International Aquatic Training Centre and Aquatic Services for the City of Windsor Jennifer Knights, said those who work in aquatics across the city are concerned that people aren't getting lessons or the education they need right now. 

"We are concerned...on making sure that people have the opportunity to get education around drowning prevention and how important it is to learn how to swim before people venture out," Knights said. 

But she said she understands how the city needs to consider COVID-19 precautions before it opens these spaces. 

She said they might screen people before allowing them to use the facilities and require that people make reservations. Knights added that they would also have to lower the number of people allowed in a facility at any one time. 

As for swimming lessons, Knights said they would look to hold sessions for those who already know how to swim so that the instructor can coach them from the deck. 

"It's complicated, [there's] lots of things to consider and with Windsor being surrounded by water, we know that people will be venturing out this summer," Knights said. 

Recreational swimming for families will be 'challenging' 

Shane and Knights both agreed that managing recreational swim time will be "challenging" and that pools will likely have to put a cap on the number of swimmers allowed to occupy a swimming area. 

"Bather loads of the maximum capacity for swimming pools will be reduced significantly to allow physical distancing to occur," Shane said. 

He said 25 per cent of the normal bather load might be more reasonable, so where a typical pool would have 200 swimmers, only 50 would be allowed on deck at a time. 

In the meantime, Knights said they are looking at how other municipalities, like Toronto, are starting to open up their pools during COVID-19 and will try to learn what has worked and not worked for others. 

She said council will likely discuss indoor pools opening sometime in the fall, should the region enter Stage 3 at that time.