As more people are staying home due to COVID-19 backyards with pools are extremely attractive this summer. Chief of the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Programming Michele Hlavsa says there is no data available so far that says the virus spreads in the water.
“We suspect based on the data that we have, that the chlorine in the water will inactivate or kill the virus in the pools, hot tubs and water playgrounds that we use when they are properly maintained,” says Hlavsa.
Hlavsa says however there are germs that can be spread in the water if the chlorine is not properly maintained.
“It should be at least one part per million and the Ph should be 7.2 to 7.8. That will maximize chlorine’s germ-killing power,” says Hlavsa.
Always keep an eye on children at the pool. Hlavsa says drowning is the leading cause of injury-related deaths in children ages one to four and never swim when you are sick.
“Germs like e Coli and shigella get into the water when we swim when we’re sick with diarrhea and unfortunately chlorine is good at killing germs, but it doesn’t kill them right away. So, we need to stay out of the water if we have diarrhea,” says Hlavsa.
Reported by Brooke Thorington.
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