Swimming during Omicron

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Does going to a pool during the Omicron spike make you nervous?

girlwithcurls2

Yes. Staying away! 😱

I'm so glad you posted this. My pool finally opened after a much unanticipated delay for maintenance. And here we are with Omicron. My husband and I both work in Early Childhood Special Education and cannot risk getting Covid because the families we serve have unvaxxed little ones. I can work from home for now, but he cannot. I was all set to go in and get my first swim in forever, but thought to text him if he thought it was OK. We agreed that I'd wait. As much as it is driving me crazy not to swim, it's the reason we bought a good water rower, and thank goodness for that.

I'm really curious how others feel.

snowflake954

Our pool has closed off and on for lockdowns. When it opens--I go, however, the center has on-line slots so the number of swimmers is limited (no more than 2 in a lane). We have extremely rigid protocols to assess the pool. Entering: gel, temp taken, Green Pass check (proof of vaccination), and masks on. Down in the locker room a mask must be on at all times except under the shower. There are people controlling. All clothing and shoes in plastic bags before placing in the locker. When you leave you leave your locker door open and it is disinfected as soon as you go. I wear my mask until I'm poolside and only take it off when I put my towel on the bench and wrap my mask inside. All lifeguards and instructors are masked. After my swim, I put my mask back on and only take it off under the shower. It's on until I'm outside the facility.

I've been doing this since spring when the pool reopened and have not gotten COVID.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

A little bit. I go when I think it won't be too crowded. 😷

Note to anyone posting a poll: even the OP has to vote to see the results! There are more responses than I thought. But, I'd like to see even more. Please vote!

mirianyusm

No. Nothing shall stop me! 😤

I think the swimming pool is the safest place of the gym. All the chlorine in the water will keep viruses away from the water at least.

cwolfman13

No. Nothing shall stop me! 😤

I don't swim much, but I'm still going to the gym and otherwise living my life. I'm vaxed and boosted and we have indoor mask mandates here. At this point I'm just not going to let COVID disrupt my daily life. With Omicron, I think everyone is going to get it unless they resign themselves to living their life in a bubble and I'm not willing to do that.

I and my whole immediate family tested positive for COVID last week. I felt unwell for a couple of days, my wife and my oldest had virtually no symptoms and my youngest was pretty sick for a single day. We're all pretty much recovered now and kids went back to school today as our schools are following the latest CDC guidance of 5 days from symptoms. We presume one of my kids caught it at school upon return from the holidays and brought it home

Jthanmyfitnesspal

A little bit. I go when I think it won't be too crowded. 😷

@cwolfman13 In some ways it seems better to get it early and get it out of the way. Most of the stories I hear from vaccinated people are like yours. (I actually don't know any unvaccinated people.) I presume I'll get it at some point in the next couple of months.

PS: It's really hard to swim or take a shower with a mask on!

VanVanDiane

A little bit. I go when I think it won't be too crowded. 😷

The pool at my gym is so tiny that it’s full with 2 or 3 people in it. So no change for me really

Jthanmyfitnesspal

A little bit. I go when I think it won't be too crowded. 😷

@VanVanDiane : Undersized gym pools aren't very useful, are they? I don't even like swimming in a 25yd (standard college length) pool and mostly go when my pool is set up for 50m.

@mirianyusm : I agree about the chlorine. A puny corona virus has no chance when in the water (if we can believe what we've read). Even in the air over the water there is a certain amount of chlorine vapor (in my opinion). And, pool ceilings are usually high, so there's lots of dilution of the air.

The locker room and shower are the primary risks, I think.

I keep thinking that if I would just get Omicron I could get it over with and stop worrying about it!

mirianyusm

No. Nothing shall stop me! 😤

@Jthanmyfitnesspal I know that there is a risk going to the gym, but I stopped fearing Omicron. I am fully vaccinated including the buster shot so I'll be careful and think of others that might have an underlying condition or can't get vaccinated for medical reasons but I need to have a resemblance of a normal life and going to the gym helps me immensely.