On Wednesday the 1st of July, the Cabinet Ministers Office and MP, George Eustice announced the good news that pools could open for one household at a time.
However, shorty after the announcement, the support was withdrawn with no explanation being given and no new guidelines planned for the matter in the short term.
Below is the excerpt from the “Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)” guidelines set out by the government (found here):
“The following venues remain closed: nightclubs, casinos, bowling alleys and indoor skating rinks, indoor play areas including soft-play, spas, swimming pools (including pools, hot tubs and jacuzzis in self-catered accommodation) and water parks”.
The government guidance for pools includes pools, hot tubs and jacuzzis in self-catered accommodation. This, understandably, has caused outrage among many site owners who are having to get in touch with future guests to inform them and, in some cases, refund them the extra cost of renting the facilities.
The initial rule set out stated that one family could swim at a time in a pool. This, to many, seemed like an entirely reasonable guideline put in place to protect guests and owners alike to the dangers presented by this virus.
Among the many issues with the changing of this rule, is that guidelines are currently being prepared for the reopening of much larger pools and waterparks, which are currently scheduled to reopen in the middle of July. There are no updates as to when the rules will change for self-catered accommodation owners.
Many are also arguing that the reopening of pools and hot tubs to single families is among the safest of activities to engage in, and would also prevent such incredibly large numbers of people flocking to beaches across the country to make the most of the good weather. It would have also prevented the cancellations that many sites are now seeing in response to this news.
PASC UK (Professional Association of Self-Caterers UK) have been lobbying for this cause and continue to do so, but currently have had very little luck. To follow their progress on this cause as well as many others, you can find their website at pascuk.co.uk.
BISHTA (The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association) have also been liaising with various bodies to lobby the issue. To follow their progress, visit their website at bishta.co.uk.
