Pools In Illinois To Open On A Limited Basis

From The Center Square:

By Zeta Cross

June 19, 2020

It took a concerted lobbying campaign, but Illinois swimmers have succeeded in convincing the state to allow pools to open on a limited basis this summer.

Competitive swimming and diving, lap swimming, aqua therapy and swimming lessons are now permitted. Jeff Arce, general chair of Illinois Swimming, said the group’s 20,000 members – ages 5 to 80 – are excited to be able to compete again.

“They are really celebrating,” he said. “Everybody wants to get back in the water.”

Taking the family to the pool to cool off on a hot day is still not allowed, Arce said.

“I’m hoping that when the officials get to Phase 4 of the reopening, that might be something that changes.”

For swimmers, the next visit to the pool will be pared down and strictly regimented.

“We are encouraging people not to use locker rooms. That is a huge change,” Arce said. “All that kids want to do is see their friends. Now there will be strict social distancing."

Everybody will have their temperatures taken before they can swim. Another big change is the number of people allowed in the water.

“Normally, it would be one coach for 14 or 15 people in two or three lanes of the pool. Now it will be nine kids in six to eight lanes,” Arce said.

Arce is the father of a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old who are both on swim teams. He said he feels confident that his two children will be safe in the pools this summer.

Some of the top swimmers in the nation come from Illinois swim programs, Arce said.

“We have an extreme, really rich history of swimming in Illinois. We have Olympians coming out of the state every four years,” he said.

Swimming is a multimillion-dollar business in Illinois, Arce said. The national governing body for Illinois Swimming is USA Swimming. Over the past 90 days, Illinois Swimming has worked with USA Swimming to include illness in its liability insurance coverage.

“We have to follow the most strict guidelines that the state has put together in order for our liability insurance to remain valid,” Arce said.

Arce said the state and Illinois Swimming are collecting tracking data together to monitor the safety of swimming.

“That way we can show that we have been effective in our measures to put kids back in the water.” Conversely, if we do see cases, we will have to take a step back so that we can be effective in keeping people safe, Arce said.

Data collected this summer could help officials decide if it is safe to reopen Illinois high school swimming programs this fall, he said.

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