Though some clubs had already gotten permission to resume training, all pools in the state of Minnesota will be allowed to open at 50% capacity as of tomorrow, June 10.
That’s according to the latest update of Governor Tim Walz‘s Stay Safe MN plan. The state says beginning June 10, all public swimming pools will be allowed to reopen at 50% of the facility’s total capacity. However, each facility will have to have a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in place before reopening.
The state has included some other guidelines for reopening. Facilities will have to make sure people can social distance on pool decks and in pools. The guidelines encourage scheduling time slots to limit the number of people in a facility at a time, as well as assigning separate entrance and exit doors.
Three of the state’s larger clubs – Riptide, Edina Swim Club, and Aquajets Swim Club – petitioned the governor to allow competitive swim teams to return to pool facilities. The June 5 update of the Stay Safe MN plan notes that public swimming pools were open from June 1-9, but only for “youth sports and recreational activities.”
Pools across the country have been shut down this spring amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.