It’s been slightly more than 3 months since we last attended a swim class. Back in March, we opted not to stop our swim lessons even when there was a surge in local cases. But then Circuit Breaker (CB) happened.
The kids missed their swimming lessons a lot during CB and though we have a bathtub at home, it just wasn’t the same. In the end, we bought a water play ‘pool’ just for them to frolic in the water.
Fast forward to 3 months later, the government finally announced the resumption of swim classes. We couldn’t wait to get back into the pool but of course there were people who tried to persuade us to wait and see. As a result, we were slightly apprehensive. It’s been months since we last swam and surely the kids had forgotten everything they learnt. We ain’t sure about the new safe reopening measures of the swim school and the condition of the pool as well after so many months.
The kids woke up at 7am and bugged us to get out of the house. To say they were very excited was an understatement.
We had been informed previously that we would only be admitted 15minutes prior to the start of the class so we timed our arrival. Only 1 parent is allowed to enter with each student.
There was the usual temperature taking and Safe Entry declaration. But the staff was pretty efficient and there wasn’t a long queue. One thing the staff must take note of is the way they sanitized our hands. The girl who admitted us was spraying the sanitizer at the eye level of the kids. Very close to Lè meimei’s eyes. Many sanitizers on the market have high alcohol content of at least 60%. This can cause a chemical burn bad enough to result in serious damage to the cornea.
Otherwise, the staff had obviously been hard at work in creating a safe environment for the little happy fishes. They had rearranged the layout slightly to adhere to the social distancing measures.
The pool looks very inviting because the existing mucky water had been drained, the floor scrubbed and repainted and all the non slip mats lining the walkway replaced.
Previously, the pool was segregated into 7 smaller ones. 6 concurrent classes and an area set aside as practice pool. The practice pool is now removed, with only 5 concurrent classes and the boundaries for each class widened. A lane had been set aside for each class for the coach. Instead of 6 pax per class, there’s only 4 students now. Each pair of parent-child must be at opposite ends during the lesson to minimize contact.
With all these measures in place, the swim school is made as safe as possible. As parents, we really appreciate the efforts put in by Happy Fish in ensuring a safe return to the pool. If you are still holing up at home, unsure of whether it’s okay to resume swim class, I hope the measures implemented by the swim school had reassured you. Covid 19 is here to stay for a while. Life has to go on.
Welcome to the new norms.
LèEzMum 