After weeks of waiting, the nation of England finally learned when their indoor and outdoor swimming facilities can reopen.
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport has announced that outdoor pools will be allowed to reopen from Saturday 11 July, with indoor pools allowed to begin reopening from Saturday 25 July – the first time since Friday 20 March.
As reported, it was originally believed that England’s pools would fall into the next phase of economic reopening on July 4th; however, Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not include aquatic facilities in his list of businesses able to reopen. The go-ahead was given to pubs, restaurants, hair salons, cinemas and museums.
Swim England officially launched an #OpenOurPools campaign. The organization called on its members, clubs, coaches, teachers, swim schools, swimmers and facility operators to plead with the nation’s government to allow pools to reopen on July 4th, with a petition ultimately being submitted to government.
16 days and 55,000 signature later comes thenews about the July opening dates, leading Swim England CEO Jane Nickerson to state,“This is a victory for the people who have been desperate to get back into the water for several months.
“Their frustration has been understandable but they have shown incredible patience and resolve. We celebrate alongside them the fact they can soon start enjoying the activities they love once again.
“When we needed their support, they backed us in their tens of thousands – and we can’t thank them enough for that.
“We know that pools need time to get their facilities up and running again after being closed for so long. Many outdoor pools will not be ready to open from this weekend and some indoor pools may not be ready to open on 25 July, so we’d ask swimmers to remain patient a little while longer.”