Indoor Swimming Lessons & Non-Team Aquatic Activities
Last updated: 1st December 2020, 21:28 BST
From midnight tonight, a new COVID-19 ‘three-tier’ system will be introduced in England, which is labelled Tier 1: Medium alert, Tier 2: High alert and Tier 3: Very High alert.
Each part of the country has been put into one of these Tiers, and each Tier has its own set of restrictions – the tiering system will be reviewed by the government every two weeks. In simplistic terms, what does this mean for indoor swimming lessons and non-sport aquatic activities – please find here the latest rules …
Tier 1
- Organised COVID-safe swimming lessons can continue indoors for:
- All under-18s
- People with disabilities of all ages
- Over-18s
- Lessons where adults are in their pool with their child can continue (1 adult and 1 baby will be classed as ‘one’ during the lesson while in the pool, but be mindful of managing and risk-assessing social distancing outside of the pool)
- Adult 1:1 lessons indoors can continue with COVID-safe practices in place
- Indoor exercise classes, i.e. aqua fitness classes and personal training can resume in line with COVID-safe guidance and practices. There is no upper limit on numbers, as long as social distancing can be maintained in line with government guidance (unless the bathers are from the same household / bubble) in the pool and throughout the customer’s journey in the facility.
- COVID-safe group exercise outdoors can continue
- Gyms and swimming pools can stay open
- Anyone aged over 11 years of age must wear a face covering indoors (not in the swimming pool), unless they have an exemption.
Tier 2
- Organised COVID-safe swimming lessons can continue indoors for:
- All under-18s
- People with disabilities of all ages
- Over 18s can continue, as long as social distancing can be maintained pre, during and post lessons
- Lessons where adults are in their pool with their child can continue (1 adult and 1 baby will be classed as ‘one’ during the lesson while in the pool, but be mindful of managing and risk-assessing social distancing outside of the pool)
- Adult 1:1 lessons can continue with COVID-safe practices in place, including in a private home while maintaining social distancing and hygiene guidance.
- Indoor exercise classes, i.e. aqua fitness classes and personal training can resume in line with COVID-safe guidance and practices. There is no upper limit on numbers, as long as social distancing can be maintained in line with government guidance (unless the bathers are from the same household / bubble) in the pool and throughout the customer’s journey in the facility
- COVID-safe group exercise outdoors can continue
- Gyms and swimming pools can stay open
- Anyone aged over 11 years of age must wear a face covering indoors (not in the swimming pool), unless they have an exemption.
Tier 3
- Organised COVID-safe swimming lessons can continue indoors for:
- All under-18s
- People with disabilities of all ages
- Lessons where adults are in their pool with their child can continue (1 adult and 1 baby will be classed as ‘one’ during the lesson while in the pool, but be mindful of managing and risk-assessing social distancing outside of the pool).
- No group swimming lessons for over 18’s unless within the same household / bubble, but Adults 1:1 can continue with social distancing measures in place. Note: Anyone aged 17 from 31st August 2020 and is due to turn 18 within the next 2020-2021 academic year, will be exempt from the ‘over-18s’ rule in Tier 3 for the remainder of the 2020-2021 academic year
- Indoor exercise classes, i.e. aqua fitness classes are not allowed to continue
- COVID-safe group exercise outdoors can continue
- Gyms and swimming pools can stay open
- Anyone aged over 11 years of age must wear a face covering indoors (not in the swimming pool), unless they have an exemption.
In all cases, you must follow the existing guidance on social distancing, hygiene, spectators and ventilation, as per STA’s guidance.
Travel Update
People are advised not to travel into or out of Tier 3 areas, including for sport, however travel is permitted where it is necessary to enable sport, i.e. for people for disabilities, sport for educational purposes, or supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s, to take place, but should still be minimised and kept to short distances only. This includes swimming lessons.
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