Swim Schools Reopen at Reduced Capacity
All public swimming pools will be allowed to reopen at no more than 50% capacity Wednesday under Governor Walz’s Stay Safe MN guidelines. Life Time Swim School in Maple Grove got a head start. It was allowed to reopen June 3 for youth training activities. Life Time Swim teaches kids from 4 months to 19 years old.
“I’ve never seen kids so excited to come to swim lessons than I have this last week,” said Molly Tanner with Life Time Swim.
Life Time Swim gets head start on reopening
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Life Time Swim had approximately 1,400 members. Those numbers shrunk to 750.
“I think members are just really happy to come back and have some sense of normalcy in their lives,” Tanner said. “You walk in and there’s someone greeting you at the front desk with a smile, underneath the mask of course.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread to people through the water used in pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds. The CDC’s website says proper operation and disinfection of pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds should kill the virus that causes COVID-19.
“We do have a hospital grade disinfectant that we’re using every hour on high-touch surfaces,” said Tanner. “Then we’re also completely spraying it on the entire facility. Once in the middle of the day and then once again at the end of the day before we close.”
First Life Time Swim in the U.S.
The Maple Grove Life Time Swim opened in January of 2019. It was the first Life Time Swim to open in the U.S. Tanner says the facility is focusing on getting kids to social distance once they are out of the water.
“We put a lot of time and energy in the last three months to insure that we have a really a safe plan in place for kids, parents and our entire staff,” said Tanner.
Tanner also says the Life Time Fitness outdoor pool, located less than a mile from the Life Time Swim, could be opening in a few weeks in Maple Grove.
CCX News Executive Producer Corey Bork contributed to this report
