Sai Kung swimming pool to open 16 May

^{Sai Kung Swimming Pool}

After being closed for most of the pandemic, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) have announced that Sai Kung swimming pool will open on 16 May.

To ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of the water quality of its swimming pools and swimmers’ safety, the LCSD is conducting the process of filtration and sterilisation and collecting water samples for testing. Thirty-eight public swimming pools will reopen gradually from 12 to 16 May.

However there are going to be restrictions in place for the foreseeable future:

• In order to comply with the requirements stipulated in the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) and relevant requirements of administrative instructions, the LCSD will ensure necessary measures to be adopted at reopened swimming pools. Users of swimming pools are required to scan the “LeaveHomeSafe” QR code before being allowed to enter for necessary contact tracing if a confirmed case is found;
• In accordance with the Prevention and Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) Regulation (Cap. 599L) and relevant requirements of administrative instructions, all persons entering or remaining at swimming pools under the management of the LCSD must comply with the requirement of the Vaccine Pass;
• Temporarily limiting the number of users in swimming pools to 50 per cent of the original capacity to maintain distance among swimmers, and opening some pool facilities only;
• Distributing numbered tickets to people lining up when the numbers of users in swimming pools have reached the temporary maximum pool capacity, and reminding them to take note of the numbers shown on the queuing board in order to avoid people gathering;
• Arranging body temperature screening for all people before entering swimming pools. Those with symptoms such as fever or respiratory illness will not be allowed to enter the swimming pools;
• Ensuring appropriate distance between users of shower facilities, with shower heads which are not within individual cubicles will open but maintaining 1.5m apart;
• No more than four persons per training group/class including the coach should be arranged for team training. There must be a distance of at least 1.5m between each training group/class. For a training group/class of more than four persons, it must be conducted in a way to ensure that persons are arranged in sub-groups of no more than four persons and there is a distance of at least 1.5m between each sub-group;
• Ensuring members of the public to wear masks at all times within swimming pools except when they are swimming, having a shower, walking from a changing room to a pool or vice versa, walking from a pool to another pool, or doing warm-up exercises with a distance of at least 1.5m from others. Coaches must wear masks at all time during coaching (irrespective of whether the coach is in the water or not); and
• Limiting the number of spectator in the stands at swimming pools to 50 per cent of the original capacity. No more than four consecutive seats can be occupied in the same row.