Swimming pools across the country are set to reopen for the first since the UK went into coronavirus lockdown in March. During the Downing Street press conference recently, Culture Secretary Oliver Downden revealed that gyms and indoor swimming pools could safely resume operations from the 25^th July following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Pool reopening safety.

Making sure the pool is clean - and stays that way - will be one of the top priorities for leisure centres once pools reopen. Head of facilities for Swim England, Richard Lamburn said most pools have never been completely closed down before and that this would have an impact on how long it takes for them to get up and running again. He said the water used in pools will have to pass a microbiological test before they can reopen and added that the water will need to be reheated, this has to be done at an increase of 0.25‎°C an hour. This is while chlorine, which is used in pools to keep it clean, also inactivates most viruses.

Any equipment used in pools will need to be cleaned in between use, while capacity will have to be limited to allow each swimmer six square metres of space.

Here at ALS we have a dedicated, purpose-built Legionella facility for the isolation and detection of Legionella bacteria. The laboratory in Coventry is UKAS and DWTS accredited. We are members of the Legionella Control Association and participate in the Health Protection Agency Water EQA schemes for Legionella Isolations, providing Quality assurance of our capability to all our customers.

ALS Environmental can provide microbiological and Legionella testing to a number of industries, whether you are a Water Utility, Water Treatment Company, Waste Treatment Company, Facilities Management Company, Hospitals, Environmental (bathing waters) or operate a business that has responsibility for the protection of employees and visitors to your premises, we can meet your requirements.

More information from the Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG) can be found here 

If you would like any information about the testing of your leisure facilities, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly client services team who will be happy to assist with your enquiry. Email: info.ukenviro@alsglobal.com

In addition to water quality environmental testing ALS can assist to minimise COVID-19 business fears by identifying SARS-CoV-2 on contaminated surfaces within your facility. We can now provide routine analysis of critical environmental surfaces to determine the extent and persistence of COVID-19. This service can help protect the public by identifying which surfaces within your facility may play a role in the onwards transmission of COVID-19. Common areas where employees, or clients gather or touch as they pass through the premises can be swabbed and tested for the presence of COVID-19.

Common surfaces include:

» Reception areas

» Restrooms

» Changing rooms

» Doors and Handles

» Shared Equipment

» Refreshment areas

The results will help you monitor and strengthen the effectiveness of your sanitisation measures within your facilitiy.

Click here for more information on the NEW COVID-19 Surface Swabbing And Detection available at ALS Laboratories. 

If you would like more information about testing for COVID-19 on contaminated surfaces within your facility please email: virus.testing@alsglobal.com.