Oudtshoorn, 13 January 2022 – The Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality has eight swimming pools at six municipal facilities, which are open for use daily from 10:00 until 18:00, except for Bridgton Swimming pool.
The opened swimming pools are NA Smit, Church Street, Bongolethu, Dysselsdorp as well as the Cango Mountain Resort, which limits the number of people allowed on the premises due to Covid-19 protocols. The Bridgton Swimming pool remains closed due to maintenance and will open as soon as repairs are completed and all safety measures are in place. Bookings for day visits at the Cango Mountain Resort will be necessary to prevent being turned away at the gate. Please call the reception desk at 044 203 3112. At this stage only 25 camping stands and 9 chalets are open for bookings for overnight stays.
The total number of visitors will be limited to not more than 33% of the capacity of the venue but exceeding 500, while the number of swimmers allowed in the swimming pools is 50% of the total pool capacity. Limited number of swimmers will be allowed in the municipal swimming pools while strictly adhering to social distancing protocols, which means visitors and swimmers should be encouraged to take turns in the pools. In addition, the municipal pool facility will be staffed by attendants such as lifeguards and/or security guards, who will be on site to monitor use, while maintaining 1,5 metres distance between people not from the same household group.
As soon as the limitations have been reached, the staff at the swimming pools will not allow any more visitors inside. Limited numbers of visitors at the different swimming pool facilities are as follows:
- NA Smit: Limitation of 200
- Church Street: Limitation of 67
- Bongolethu: Limitation of 52
- Dysselsdorp: Limitation of 40
- Cango Mountain Resort: Limitation of 100
All the lifeguards underwent thorough skills development and obtained experience at the NA Smit swimming pools through an accredited service provider who was appointed in assisting with the adequate training of the lifeguards to ensure that there is safety within the swimming pools.
The municipal pools had been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to reduce the number of contractions in Oudtshoorn. The fire, rescue, and disaster management department will regularly perform inspections at the swimming pools to promote and enhance the safety of the public. Furthermore, the department will also monitor the swimming pool facilities.
Executive Mayor of the Greater Oudtshoorn, Cllr Chad Louw, said that the municipality has done the necessary preparations for the opening of the swimming pools. “These preparations included ensuring that the water levels of the pools are appropriate, as well as ensuring that the water system and the unused equipment is still functional in all the municipal swimming pools which are open.” Louw further states that the municipality is still committed to saving water during swimming pool season and that strict Covid-19 regulations are place to manage the safety of the public.