Cut through the red tape and let the nation swim once again
We are an island nation and we have been stuck indoors for a long time, so now the sun is shining and lockdown is easing, lots of us want to go swimming. Not much chance of that happening.
The Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park has been closed, just a week after reopening, because of “social distancing difficulties”. The same is true of Hampstead Ponds, where the council refused to allow swimmers back because it could put the lifeguards at risk.
OK, so head to the beach? No, the RNLI wants a ban on beach day trippers. Mark Dowie, its chief executive, says they have not had time to train lifeguards: “We have to work out how to do water rescues and give first aid, often with people coughing up water.”
Fair enough, you might think. But they have had months to work this out, so what have they been doing? Furloughing staff and suspending training because lifeguards “work in pairs”. Have they never heard of online tutorials? They should have been started months ago and ready to roll by now. And why can’t we test lifeguards regularly for Covid-19 before letting them out on patrol? The benefits of swimming are too great to be stymied by a failure of imagination.
Being a lifeguard is a risky job. My son is a surf rescue volunteer in Sydney, doing the same training and working alongside the full-time lifeguards. Australia has online tutorials and has updated advice on how to make things as safe as possible. Lifeguards all carry bags of protective gear – gloves and mouthguards – when on patrol because there is always a possibility that a swimmer in trouble may have an infection.
Now, Hampstead Ponds, the Serpentine, the RNLI – are you listening? Arrange a ticketing or booking system if it gets too busy. Different colour wristbands – half hour sessions. Australian beaches have insisted on Swim and Go. Do not allow swimmers to linger and sunbathe if that is causing problems.
No, it isn’t difficult. If our recycling centres – and my Co-op – can work out how to adapt, why can’t those responsible for keeping our pools, lakes and beaches safe? And yes, it is the same. Someone could have an accident or collapse in a shop, a building site or at the tip. Yet they are open for business.
We want the sea to be open for business, too. Those of us who are lucky enough to live by the beach and swim all year round know the massive physical and mental benefits of swimming and the extreme feelings of withdrawal when you can’t. Official information is that the virus is not such a threat in the open air. But just accept this fact: you cannot socially distance when doing a water rescue.
Get the beaches open and the lifeguards on patrol because if officialdom persists in this attitude, they will be swimming against the tide – and that is never a good idea.