Since the deconfinement process began in France, some facilities have begun welcoming high-level swimmers back on deck and will gradually resume their training programs, per French outlet France 1. In recent days, some pools have opened their doors to high-level athletes who saw their preparation stall as a result of confinement.
Social distancing remains mandatory in the nation, forcing club teams to only permit one swimmer per lane so that the safety guidelines are met. The resumption of training will be done smoothly and gradually, the report says.
The nation currently sits in Phase 1 of the de-escalation process, as other European nations have also begun to ease restrictions and allow high-level athletes to resume their training.
While Slovenia became the first European country to declare an end to the pandemic, ther nations, such as Italy, Spain or the Netherlands have also reopened their pools.
According to the website worldometers.info, France remains one of Europe’s worst-hit nations by the pandemic in terms of casualties.
The nation has reported a total of 182,722 confirmed cases, out of which 28,530 have died. The country has, however, seen a dramatic increase in new cases. From an early-April peak of over 17,000 daily new cases, over the last week the country has seen fewer than 200 each day.
In terms of Europe, France stands behind the U.K. and Italy in terms of recorded deaths due to the virus.