FRANKFORT, Ky. — Effective June 29, public pool facilities can reopen in Kentucky and groups of 50 people can gather again, provided they follow some newly-released guidelines.
On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear's administration released guidelines to safely reopen public swimming and bathing centers for recreation, exercise, swim lessons, and lifeguard training with groups of 50 or fewer students.
Among the requirements for pool centers are social distancing and limited pool capacity. Any time their heads are above water, swimmers must maintain a distance of six feet from people who aren't from the same household.
Seating at swimming facilities will also be spaced six feet apart, and pools are asked to encourage guests to bring their own seats whenever possible.
In addition to extra cleaning and sanitation precautions, public swimming and bathing facilities "must provide hand sanitizer, handwashing facilities, tissues and waste baskets in convenient locations to the greatest extent practicable." Employees will be required to wear masks, though this does not apply to lifeguards.
The guidelines mandate that facilities also close waiting areas, saunas and steam rooms. You can read the full list of pool guidelines here.
Many of the guidelines to host large events already apply to groups of 10 people or fewer, which have been allowed to resume in the commonwealth. Among the new guidelines are continuing to socially distance, wearing cloth masks, not sharing food or drinks and hosting events outside whenever possible. Find the complete list of guidelines for larger gatherings here.
For a complete timeline of reopenings across the Tri-State, click here.
