Melbourne swimmers welcome reopening of outdoor pools

Swimmers in Melbourne were able to make use of outdoor public pools yesterday for the first time in months.

With the Victorian Government easing Coronavrius restrictions as of midnight on Sunday, outdoor pools can again operate while two people, along with a trainer, can exercise outdoors.

However, the Second Step of the Victorian Government's roadmap for emerging from lockdown - which also sees the lifting of Melbourne's citywide curfew – does not include any provision for the reopening of indoor aquatic, fitness and sport facilities.

The Victorian Government's easing of restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne, with regional Victoria remaining at the Third Step, allow the following:

Metropolitan Melbourne
Exercise is allowed within 5 kilometres of people's homes, or 5 kilometres from your workplace for those on the permitted worker list (people must carry their permit)

Exercise and recreation:
• Outdoor exercise is permitted in line with public gathering limits, within 5km, only where facilities are not required.
• Outdoor personal training is limited to two people, plus the personal trainer, but excluding children under 12 months. Equipment sharing is not permitted, and the trainer must wear a mask.
• Outdoor pools are permitted to open for exercise only
• Toilets at outdoor pools can be open, but changing rooms are closed
• People allowed in a pool is the lower of the density quotient or 20 people
• People unable to congregate around a pool
• Publicly accessible playgrounds can open, outdoor only, but playcentres, skate parks and trampolining centres are closed.

Regional Victoria
On 17th September, regional Victoria moved to the Third Step of the roadmap for reopening Victoria.

For sport and recreation in regional Victoria this includes:

Indoor physical recreation: Closed

Outdoor physical recreation:
• Classes and training can resume for up to 10 people or a household - plus the trainer.
• Exercisers must maintain a distance of 1.5 metres and make sure any equipment is cleaned between users.
• Sharing of equipment should be minimised where possible you  the sharing of equipment.

Outdoor swimming pools:
• Open for up to 50 people or the number allowed when the four-square metre rule is applied (must be the smaller number).

Exceptions to the swimming pool cap include for exclusive use: a) by a single school at any one time for education purposes; or b) for community sport in accordance with relevant provisions in the Restricted Activities Directions.

Camps:
• Limited outdoor recreation camps open as an exclusive facility for a single school for educational purposes. Also, for tourism purposes for people who live together, are part of a household bubble and ensuring persons from separate bookings do not share bedrooms at the facility.

Community sport:
Outdoor non-contact sport can resume for adults:
• Non-contact sport is any sport where a distance of 1.5 metres can be maintained while playing.
• Sport can be played with the number of people required plus necessary coaches and umpires.

Outdoor sport can resume for people who are 18 years of age and younger, this includes contact sport:
• Sport can be played with the number of people required to play plus necessary coaches and umpires.
• Spectators are allowed if they are supervising children or if needed as support persons for persons with additional needs. A distance of at least 1.5 metres from others must be maintained while supervising children.
• Toilets and communal changerooms are open
• Canteens, kiosks or at-venue dining facilities can open subject to the industry restart guidelines for hospitality
• A cap of 10 people in any cohort participating in an individual outdoor community sport (e.g. athletics, cycling, walking, bushwalking, trail walking)

Personal training: outdoors, up to 10 members of the public or a household; trainer is additional to 10.

Play centres and indoor trampolining centres: closed

Skateparks: open, outdoors only, indoors closed

Outdoor Trampolining centres: open

Fitness or dance classes (including classes associated with gyms):
Outdoor: permitted, in line with public gathering limits for the Third Step, plus the person required to conduct the activity. Permit may be required from local government.
Indoor: closed, recording and broadcast permitted with the minimum number of people required to conduct the recording/streaming up to 5 people, and subject to density, signage, record-keeping and cleaning requirements as per Workplace Directions.

Only one person at a time may be exempted from wearing a face covering due under the strenuous physical exercise exemption (e.g. the trainer leading the broadcast).

For all the latest roadmap information including an outline of the Step process visit vic.gov.au/roadmap.