Would you go swimming if was on shielding list?

[Viv0321]

Would you go swimming if was on shielding list?

No. I wouldn’t go swimming and I’m not on the list. It’s not the swimming part, it’s being in changing room, reception, poolside with others who I don’t know.

No

Thanks for your replies

I would make a decision based on the circumstances of my own pool. For instance my local leisure centre has a max of 8 in the pool most of the time. You arrive pool ready and queue 2m apart for a temperature check before being allowed into the pool area. You have a chair allocated to you to leave your stuff on, and everyone distances in the pool. On getting out, no changing by the pool side, just put joggers and a sweatshirt, or a dressing gown on and leave via a fire exit to the car park. Bin bag on the seat if you're a bit soggy and drive home. Very little risk as far as I can see, but would be nice if there was the option of a changing room if you needed one

Yes. And I have.

I feel perfectly safe at my pool. Since the first lockdown ended, I started swimming again. The centre only allows a maximum of ten people in, during a 1 hour slot and it's online booking only. I arrive and use my card to tap in, so no contact with anyone.

I can see the staff cleaning down the changing rooms before I'm allowed in and since there's only a few people in there, it's easy to distance.

In all the times I've been, and that's at least 3 times a week, there has never been more than five of us in the pool. In fact, on a Saturday afternoon, it's never been more than 3 people.

I can't wait until Thursday, when I can get back there.

Yes. I’ve been today. Pool split into household groups, change at poolside prior, change in changing rooms after but not allowed to use showers and there’s oly been two other families in the huge changing rooms. Hand gel around the place. Feels much less risky then the school or supermarket or work or even walking down the high street

Last time I was at my nearest pool, 6 weeks ago, they had 6 people per lane, 6 lanes, and it did feel unsafe, esp at the ends where there were people chatting, people turning, and swimming hard you do breathe out fully.
So instead I'll be swimming outdoors all winter - was in the river today at 7.9', but back to the supervised lake next week. The lake you have contact with no one, only 20 people max in the session, and a 250m loop so not a lot of spacing issues. Just a bit chilly!

no

No. It just doesn’t seem worth the risk.

Also, while some pools seem to be doing well, some aren’t. Mine doesn’t seem to be. And reception & the (closed) cafe are always heaving at mine, so you’re always close to people.

I love swimming. I'm not shielding, I'm a teacher and in school every day. No way will I go swimming until the vaccine is out and the virus is very well under control.

No, we don't go at the moment it's about the changing rooms, the loos and just being indoors mixing wth others at the moment.

As above. The warm steamy air and lack of windows in most swimming pool changing areas means you risk inhaling a rich aerosol of virus particles. Even in the pool itself, although the chlorinated water may help kill the virus, you will be breathing heavily just above the water level, where the swimmer in front of you has just exhaled.
If the weather was warmer, outdoor wild swimming would be a safer option, but if you are shielding for health reasons, don’t go and risk hypothermia.

I'm CV but not shielding and I won't be going swimming until I have been vaccinated.

I was swimming earlier in autumn and whilst the facilities were spotless and there were limits on the numbers of people in the pool, too many of those people weren’t following the rules - so instead of swimming round the outside of the pool as per the instructions, they were swimming in lanes like normal times, leaving no room to socially distance from them.

I raised it with the gym management a few times, but they couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything about it, so I stopped and cancelled my membership.

Not if I was shielding.

I'm not shielding and was swimming 3 x a week between lockdowns. I think it's fairly low risk for a healthy person if managed well but not a risk I would take, personally, if I was shielding.

Thank you everyone

I think it depends OP. I think the swimming sessions I've been to are very well run, but there are two pools under one roof and there is a swimming club in the other pool. That doesn't bother me, but I think if I were shielding it would!

You need to look at the specifics of the pool you want to visit.

The warm steamy air and lack of windows in most swimming pool changing areas means you risk inhaling a rich aerosol of virus particles possibly, but if you are anything like me, once in the pool you'll swallow half the water in it anyway, so the chlorine will kill anything in your system. I don't use the changing areas, as a pp said, I just pull some clothes over my wet body and go home to shower.

If the weather was warmer, outdoor wild swimming would be a safer option

I would dispute this - you might not catch covid, but you could catch something horrible from the water.

“you'll swallow half the water in it anyway, so the chlorine will kill anything in your system“

Erm, no. This is dangerously close to Donald Trump and his ingesting/injecting bleach theory - and if it actually worked we’d all be drinking pool water. If the virus is inhaled into your lungs or gets in your eyes from the air, the chlorine (bleach) water you are drinking really isn’t just swimming from your stomach to other organs around your body killing virus.

I happily go swimming, it’s quite quiet and feels very safe. But if I was previously advised not to even put my own bins out I’d be going nowhere near the place.

Thanks. What about vulnerable but not shielding?

What a strange question to ask other people.

It's all about your own attitude to risk...nobody can answer on your behalf.

Yep, I have been and it was probably the safest indoor place I've been to. Book on advice, check in using phone, only a few of us there at a time. Individual changing rooms and no showering. Bags on the side of the pool in marked spots. Just two large lanes in the pool. For me it helps my lungs so much it outweighs any risk. Will be back there on Sunday if I can get a spot!

book online

Why is it a strange question to ask what other people think of the risk??

Someone i. Bristol got viels disease from a river maybe had a cut.
Clevedon open pool had polured sea water i think from the 7