Pool Opening?

[CanadaDisney05]

I think the concern is more the other way around.

LAX

I get it. I'm far from an expert on the subject. But how often is the average lifeguard at a hotel pool giving CPR? Once a day? Once a month? Once a year? 10 times a day? Then extract that by the very small likelihood that the specific patient has Covid. Then extract that by the odds of being one of the few who get severe symptoms. I'd think the odds are actually pretty small of catching it. At some point it just becomes a risk of the job. I'm all for protecting people, but when your job is literally to save someone's life, you can't start playing around with half measures because of the absolute remote possibility of something happening to you. If that is too big of a concern, then don't take the job. I think you have a much higher likelihood of something bad happening on the way to work that day than catching Covid on the jOb from giving CPR

 

[LAX]

I get it. I'm far from an expert on the subject. But how often is the average lifeguard at a hotel pool giving CPR? Once a day? Once a month? Once a year? 10 times a day? Then extract that by the very small likelihood that the specific patient has Covid. Then extract that by the odds of being one of the few who get severe symptoms. I'd think the odds are actually pretty small of catching it. At some point it just becomes a risk of the job. I'm all for protecting people, but when your job is literally to save someone's life, you can't start playing around with half measures because of the absolute remote possibility of something happening to you. If that is too big of a concern, then don't take the job. I think you have a much higher likelihood of something bad happening on the way to work that day than catching Covid on the jOb from giving CPR

My point isn't about taking a job that comes with risks. It's more about a statistically higher risk to lifeguards in general. Obviously, for the hotel guest that needs CPR to survive, he/she won't care whoever tries to help save his/her life has COVID. However, for lifeguards, it's a new risk. The fact that COVID is a much more contagious disease than many others presents a greater issue to anyone that needs to come in close contact with others on a regular basis, not just lifeguards. I think it's something that needs to be discussed/addressed before it becomes an issue.

I am not sure how much lifeguards make in general, but if the concerns of COVID becomes even a perception issue, I can see how some may not want to bother.

LAX

PS: I am not a lifeguard.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

My point isn't about taking a job that comes with risks. It's more about a statistically higher risk to lifeguards in general. Obviously, for the hotel guest that needs CPR to survive, he/she won't care whoever tries to help save his/her life has COVID. However, for lifeguards, it's a new risk. The fact that COVID is a much more contagious disease than many others presents a greater issue to anyone that needs to come in close contact with others on a regular basis, not just lifeguards. I think it's something that needs to be discussed/addressed before it becomes an issue.

I am not sure how much lifeguards make in general, but if the concerns of COVID becomes even a perception issue, I can see how some may not want to bother.

LAX

PS: I am not a lifeguard.

I don't actually disagree. What I'm trying to articulate is that every job in the world is going to have some sort of added risk of catching Covid. I just don't see that the job of lifeguard will have any more of an increased risk over the average job.

I don't have the statistics, so I don't really know how often lifeguards generally give CPR. But I have to imagine that it is very rare. In my entire life, I've never actually seen someone receive CPR. So we're only talking about in an extreme circumstance that this even becomes an issue. Then in that specific situation, the odds of that individual having Covid is so minute. Then going a step forward, even if the lifeguard does catch it, in general lifeguards are young and in pretty good shape. They are not what would be considered in the "high risk" category. So even if they did catch it in this extremely rare scenario, the odds of them having any sort of life threatening symptoms is really small. Multiply all of these very minute odds together, and you would have to have the perfect storm for a lifeguard to die or have any major side effects that was caused by them catching Covid due to providing CPR. Other than giving CPR, the vast majority of the lifeguard's job is actually staying away from others.

 

[tokyo316]

I wondered more about lifeguards. Esp with the possibility of contact of saving or assisting guest. how can one do mouth to mouth resuscitation safety without the lifeguards possibly being infected with the virus. Maybe pools that don’t have a lifeguard on duty would open. And then you have water parks where lifeguards are a necessity ...just something to think about.

i can see Disney buying the hand pumps that is use in hospitals and ambulances to help that scenario.

 

[4evryoung]

And you just move out extra loungers if they can't get the social distancing they want.

Social distancing recommendations may cut by at least 50% the number of people you can have on a pool deck. Tough to enforce if parks are closed or have limited access and guests need somewhere to be other than their villas.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Social distancing recommendations may cut by at least 50% the number of people you can have on a pool deck. Tough to enforce if parks are closed or have limited access and guests need somewhere to be other than their villas.

And people are yelling at the staff at the doors of places like Trader Joe's and Menard's for requiring masks. I can't imagine the kind of tantrum someone throws that they are PAYING to STAY at [insert resort name here] WHAT DO YOU MEAN I cannot GO TO THE POOL! given the tantrums I have seen at places with lesser table stakes.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Social distancing recommendations may cut by at least 50% the number of people you can have on a pool deck. Tough to enforce if parks are closed or have limited access and guests need somewhere to be other than their villas.

I know what you're saying, but I think the pools/chairs might be more like 25% capacity. And some of the pools are going to be tougher than others. The OP mentioned the AKL pool - the main pool at Jambo is not going to be easy to have open without a deep cut in the number of people allowed. There's really not much room to spread out, and the chairs are pretty tight together. And that's probably a common theme for most (if not all) the Disney pools.

So the answer to the pool question is probably the same for a number of things right now. If it's during the early phases of Disney reopening, and if something is open, it's going to be with significantly reduced capacity, with many new restrictions, and with distancing requirements. Whether it's a resort, a pool, a restaurant, stores, or the theme parks. Sadly, things will not be back to 'normal' anytime soon.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

I think if and when they open the pools and if at reduced capacity they should eliminate all pool hopping. It wouldn't be fair for guests of a resort that has reached it's capacity to be able to go to another resort and take up part of that resorts limited capacity. JMHO

One pool that will have a problem if capacity is reduced is Stromalong Bay at YC/BC. That pool gets really crazy busy to the point I wouldn't even want to go there during normal times.

Luckily we go in Jan/Feb so pools are usually not very crowded. Limited capacity happens naturally.

 

[bseas]

CDC says that pools are safe. From the CDC website...

There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas. Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water.

 

[chicagoshannon]

There is no medical reason for outdoor pools to be closed. As for loungers, the sun and heat kill the virus in under a minute so not a big risk there either.

I"m not saying the pools will for sure be open just that there is no medical reason for them not to be. We've seen medical reason thrown out the window with this thing so who knows what's going to happen.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The real problem isn't the loungers. It is people breathing on each other while lounging in close proximity. We all know how sardine-like the loungers are at the big pools.

If social distancing is to be maintained, many loungers have to go.

 

[4evryoung]

The real problem isn't the loungers. It is people breathing on each other while lounging in close proximity. We all know how sardine-like the loungers are at the big pools.

If social distancing is to be maintained, many loungers have to go.

The solution may be to give free entry for resort guests to one of the water parks where there is much more space and loungers can be wide spread, but only have the pool open, not the lazy river and rides where people would get much closer together.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

CDC says that pools are safe. From the CDC website...

There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas. Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water.

CDC is simply saying they feel the virus cannot spread through water. But at a public pool, there's still people breathing, coughing, sneezing, touching surfaces. So unless everyone is spending their time in the pool and underwater, pools will likely have significant modifications to the number of people and the distancing requirements when they open.

 

[tokyo316]

i personally am not to worried about germs in the pool due to the chemicals that is used already to kill the germs. i do see them possibly also increasing the amount used as well as extra shocking of the pools and ph levels being tested

 

[DCLPrincess]

I think pools would open. They have high chlorine levels and you're outside. They just need to limit capacity for social distancing.

The solution may be to give free entry for resort guests to one of the water parks where there is much more space and loungers can be wide spread, but only have the pool open, not the lazy river and rides where people would get much closer together.

I like this idea. I had already contemplated them opening water parks. Between the sun and chlorine it should kill everything.

 

[Donna M]

It is going to be interesting to see what the measures will be for social distancing in the pools and pool area. Will they put loungers outside the normal pool area if space is available? Will there be a max capacity? How will they decide who gets to use the pool that day? Sign into MDE for a pool reservation? Maybe there will be fewer guests till everything is more back to normal.