Young people looking for a place to cool off in the summer heat will have to find new places to do so as both Alliance and Hemingford announced the closures of their pools for the summer.
A press release issued by the City of Alliance declared the closure the result of concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
“This difficult decision was made by City officials due to concerns that the social distancing measures could not be adequately enforced in an aquatic environment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through properly treated water. However, there is a definite concern the virus could be spread in the pool bathhouses, restrooms, on pool ladders, slides and pool lounge chairs,” the release stated.
A press release from the Village of Hemingford cited many of the same concerns in the decision to close for the 2020 swimming season.
Shana Brown, Cultural and Leisure Services Director for the City of Alliance, said that with the closure of the pool, the swim team will not be able to have their 2020 season.
Alliance City Manager Jeff Sprock said the decision to close was purely precautionary, as he does not want the Big Blue Bay pool to contribute to the potential spread of the virus.
“I can’t tell you what July is going to look like, or what August is going to look like,” said Sprock. “If we have an outbreak in the community, I don’t want that to be a source of communication or of distribution of the virus. I polled council a little bit, and they were a little bit frustrated with closing the pool, but they went along with me and allowed me to close the pool. They have the right to override me at any time, and if they want to do that they can. To me, it’s just a safety issue.”