Return to water
On 25 June the Executive approved an indicative timeframe for a return to outdoor training, including contact elements from 29 June, in advance of competitive sport resuming on 17 July. The indicative date for leisure centres opening is 17 August however we do not have any confirmation regarding when Belfast City Council pools will open.
Prior to pools reopening, Swim Ireland have provided clubs with a Water Polo Framework. We will receive further information and resources in the coming weeks to assist us, and we will work through these with our coaches and pool facilities in order to be ready when pools re-open.
Mitigating the risk of Covid-19
The current HSE advice in relation to the impact of COVID-19 in chlorinated environments states that ‘adherence to current recommended disinfection practice is sufficient to inactivate COVID-19 virus in chlorinated drinking water and swimming pools’.
We are confident that if we follow Swim Ireland’s Water Polo Framework, which is in line with public health guidelines, it will be a safe and smooth transition for our members to return to the pool. We will be appointing a COVID-19 Officer to ensure that the requirements within the Water Polo Framework are met.
It is important to note that it is not possible to eliminate the risk of the spread of COVID-19 completely and, while we will work to minimise risk, this concept must be fully understood and accepted by our members and the parents of our members who are minors.
What will training look like?
We will be working with our pool provider to support them in developing protocols for our members. In the first instance, it’s likely that this will not be a return to normal or regular club activities, but it is our aim to provide suitable training opportunities for all of our membership.
As a club, we are required to follow Swim Ireland requirements for reopening. They are adopting a conservative and measured approach to a re-start but hope that things will evolve quickly. At present, this means that all club members must sign a waiver prior to returning and every individual must complete the health screening form prior to all sessions (pool, sea or land based).
Further information on resuming full contact training will be released in the coming weeks and information on the National Leagues and Cups will be released following the 20th July.
Member survey
In order to prepare the squad structures for the return to training, could we ask each family to complete the short survey (access survey here) to understand what your current thoughts are. If you have already completed this and your thoughts have not changed, there is no need to complete it again; however if you have not completed it, or you are thinking differently, we would like to hear from you.