VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Park Board has announced the outdoor aquatic season will get underway on Saturday, but with new COVID-19 rules.
Spray parks and pools at Kitsilano, New Brighton and Second Beach will welcome swimmers starting Saturday, but users must register in advance and book swim times. Registration opens Wednesday.
Public swimmers can book a 90-minute swim block while length swimmers can reserve a 45-minute session. The park board says there will be 30-minute buffers between bookings for sanitization.
Change rooms will be closed so swimmers must arrive “swim ready,” reads a news release put out by the park board on Tuesday. It says there will be no rentals of swim goggles or towels, but washrooms will be available for use.
The spray parks opening this weekend are: MacLean, Chaldecott, Connaught, Harbour Green, Grandview, Hastings, Oak, Stanley, Prince Edward, Pandora and Garden.
The park board has also announced that starting Saturday, 10 Vancouver beaches will be patrolled, in designated swimming areas, by lifeguards from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The 10 beaches are: English Bay, Jericho, Kitsilano, Locarno, Spanish Banks East and West, Sunset, Second, Third and Trout Lake. The designated areas will be marked by red and yellow flags. Physical distancing of two metres will be in place at all beaches.
On June 15, Maple Grove pool will open to the public between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wading pools will open on July 1.
To follow COVID-19 rules, swim sessions at outdoor pools will be sold by pod for physical distancing and range in price from $4.02 for one child, aged five to 12, to $14.33 for two adults, according to the park board website.
There is a maximum of two people, not including preschoolers, per pod.
Vancouver’s outdoor aquatic season runs from May 22 to Sept. 6.
