Since the UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy was announced earlier this week, there have been many questions about the use of ‘private’ residential swimming pools for teaching ‘socially-distant’ swimming to friends / family members for example from another household.

To clarify the regulations, all commercial swimming pools are to remain closed until at least early in July – and if a private residential swimming pool was to be used prior to this date by a ‘paying’ customer, by default it becomes classed as a ‘commercial’ swimming pool and the residential pool owner would be breaking the law. This rule applies to both indoor and outdoor residential pools – home-based pools must only be used by the residing people, one household.

This social distancing rule equally applies to a swimming teacher who might be invited to teach within a different household where there is a residential pool – it would not be permitted.

The measures announced this week (for England), which give members of the public unlimited daily exercise, so long as they adhere to social-distancing regulations and remain with either their own household or just one person from outside their household, ONLY apply to activities that take place outside of the home.

We must ALL adhere to current Government guidelines that clearly state that swimming pools (of all types, both indoor and outdoor) MUST remain closed.