Recently Claremont Aquatic Centre, made changes to their opening hours due to risk of COVID-19 and the impact on Staff.
These changes see the pool closed during their most busiest time for swimmers involved in regular and critical swimming training (5:30am-7am). 

These changes have significantly impacted swimmers who regularly train at the pool during these times.  These swimmers include many individuals and training squads who are only able to train before school & work.

These changes were also made without community consultation and without seeking feedback as to how these changes would affect key stakeholders using this community facility.

These times impact many swimmers who train for local events, Port to Pub, Open Water Series and Triathlons.  Some of these squads are also training children and young adults who have been preparing for Swimming State & National Championships.  Swimmers who are able to proclaim Claremont Aquatic Centre as their home, until recently.

It affects many swimmers who swim for health (both physical and mental) reasons and those who are not able to adjust their schedules to swim at night instead of the morning.  

This closure has now meant these individuals and squads are without a place to train which means disruption to their preparation schedule for these important events and those elite juniors who have aspirations of swimming nationally and internationally.  

It also means that the community users of his pool are now displaced and are unable to exercise, complete their rehabilitation programs, learn to swim and just get out into the open and feel part of the community completing a positive activity in a positive environment

Claremont Pool is an outdoor venue, and COVID-19 impacts are much more easily mitigated because of this. 

The vast to vast majority of users of the pool have no interaction with Pool Staff and pass through the reception area for less than 1 minute while wearing masks and staff are protected behind perspex screens.  For the rest of the time swimmers, or spectators are outdoors and have no face to face interaction with lifeguards.

Closing the pool during peak times for users is not logical to the State Government Covid rules nor does it make financial sense for the Town of Claremont to cut off the peak entry time for swimmers accessing this venue.