Safety first at swim school
Instructors extra careful with kids and virus threat
In a coastal city such as East London, learning to swim is important. It's no surprise, then, that the city has its fair share of swim schools. A good example is Wanda s
Swimming School, founded and run by Wanda Steyn for the last 14 years.
She teaches students of all ages, from babies to adults.
“We teach them how to swim, teach stroke correction and we even enter students into galas,” Steyn said.
“We even do some charity work. There s a man who comes from Butterworth and he brings us children who cannot swim.
“This way, they can have a little experience of swimming.”
The swim school normally operates out of Body Classique Fitness Centre on the East London beachfront but since gyms have been forced to close due to the lockdown restrictions, Steyn has had to find alternative venues.
When she spoke to the GO! & Express on Monday, she was sharing the Swim Stars pool in Stirling.
In addition to the trouble her business has found itself in, Steyn also had to deal with contracting Covid-19 earlier this year.
“I was dead sick, and even went to hospital. I lost weight because I couldn't eat,” she said.
Thankfully, she managed to make a recovery but the brush with the virus has encouraged her to ensure stringent safety measures are carried out at her school.
"Firstly, you have to get your temperature taken and must sign in,” Steny said.
In addition to screening for obvious symptoms, this also allows for easy tracking in the event that a student or one of their family members later tests positive.
'When a child is out of the pool, they have to blow their nose on a wet wipe and throw it into a drum. Often they might have a runny nose which they want to wipe on nearby surfaces.”
Steyn said she also made sure to sanitise the area regularly, and instructors wore a face mask during lessons. Classes are also limited in the number of students.
'We do two students per instructor. It's only family and siblings that are allowed to swim together,” Steyn said.
Those looking to sign up for the school or find out more information can visit the Wanda's Swimming School Facebook page, e-mail wandasteyn12@gmail.com or call 072-878-8022.