The B'Terem organization whose focus is child safety has asked the government to reconsider its decision to close public swimming pools, claiming that it could potentially lead to loss of life.
"For children, learning to swim can save lives," Orly Silbinger, B'Terem's director said. "It's entirely possible to find a way to enable swimming classes to resume, while adhering to Health Ministry regulations."
Silbinger added that, "Public pools are closely supervised by lifeguards, and if they are closed, it is likely that more people will use private pools in their own homes, which have been shown to pose a greater drowning threat to young children, along with pools in vacation homes and hotels."
Simon Davidson of the Swimming Association added that, "So far, not a single case of transmission of Covid-19 has been traced to swimming pools. Their closure is a disaster for this sector, and we hope very much that the government will rescind its decision."