It’s summer, the weather is beautiful, the kids have finally finished online classes for the year and by all accounts, America is returning to business as usual. Well, at least that’s what it looks like with states reopening. Sure, in the beginning the five phases sounded smart and responsible but then people started leapfrogging the phases. Now, parks, restaurants, museums, malls and even some local public pools are opening back up.
But is it safe to go back to a public pool during the pandemic?
Is it safe to return to business as usual? What public pools near me are open? Should we just chuck the whole idea and invest in an inflatable pool for the backyard? The real question is: Is life ever going to be normal again?
Is it safe to go to a public pool during a pandemic?
Inflatable pools and other water fun at home
Last but not least, if all else fails but you don’t want to miss out on playing in the water, there are other options. Families cannot live by beach, lake, and public pool alone. Personally, the less crowded the water, the better I feel about spending time with my family there. Here are other water fun options.
- Adult-sized Minnidip inflatable pools
- A sprinkler
- A slip and slide
- An inflatable water slide
- Sprinkler on the trampoline
- Water balloons
- If you really want to make your kids’ day put it all together and create a fun outdoor water park.
Basic safety for your inflatable pool:
- Make sure that kids know how to swim
- Swimmers should be supervised at all times
- Know the signs of drowning and how to perform CPR
- Put a cover on the pool when not in use to prevent accidents
- Keep the pool clean so its safe for your child’s health
- Disinfect with chlorine or bromine
- Check pH balance twice a day
- Keep the chemicals at these recommended levels to kill germs: 1–10 parts per million (ppm) free chlorine or 3–8 ppm bromine with a pH 7.2–7.8.
According to the CDC, if the pH is too high or too low, it can cause problems, including decreasing chlorine’s or bromine’s ability to kill germs. It can also cause skin and eye irritation in swimmers and damage pool pipes and other equipment.
