WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO issued the following announcement on June 26.
For Pools That Are Open, Social Distancing And Mask Wearing Encouraged
Concern over spreading COVID-19 and lost revenue from fewer swimmers means many communities will not be opening their pools this year.
Forty-nine municipalities that belong to the Wisconsin Parks and Recreation Association have officially closed pools for 2020, while only 24 are already open or plan to at some point, said Kabel Helmbrecht, an association member and recreation director for the Oshkosh Area School District.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread to people through the water used in pools, hot tubs or water playgrounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says proper disinfection should kill the virus that causes COVID-19.
"But you have locker rooms, and in Oshkosh, we have a water park with something called the Lazy River that has inner tubes that are reused over and over by individuals," said Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri.
On June 11, the city announced on Facebook the public pool would not open this summer.
Palmeri said the reaction to the decision has been mixed. "Some would really like to see the pool open because they don’t really believe COVID-19 is a concern, while others have been supportive of the decision," she said.
Palmeri added that opening the pool with fewer swimmers to ensure safe distancing would have reduced revenue while expenses like cleaning would have increased.
In Dane County, city officials running the Monona Community Pool estimated that operating at limited capacity would result in $40,000 lost revenue for the season. City officials noted this money would have been transferred out of the Monona’s general fund balance. Plus, the pool wouldn't have been ready to open until July 1.
"Taking all things into consideration, along with guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that discouraged the opening of public pools, the City Council unanimously decided that opening the pool was not in the best interest of the Monona community this summer due to concerns regarding COVID-19," read a Facebook post from city officials.
Original source here.
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