Residents will be able to start booking time slots to swim at the Prince George Aquatics Centre starting on Aug. 31.
The pool is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 8. Booking will be available online at www.princegeorge.ca/aquatics starting on Monday, or by calling 250-561-7787 starting on Sept. 8.
"You have to register before you swim. We want people to call ahead or register online, so we don't have to turn people away," city aquatics manager Jim Worthington said on Friday. "Frequent pool users will already have an account."
All admissions will have to be pre-paid at the time of registration, and customers will be required to scan their admission confirmation at a self-scan station before going in. A staff person will still be available at the front desk to assist clients and provide locker tokens, Worthington said.
Each scheduled opening will be for a two-hour, or two-and-half-hour, time slot and users will be required to book in advance.
On weekdays there will be an adult swim from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., seniors swim from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and everyone-welcome swims from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., and again from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. A block of time for sports clubs has been set aside on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
On weekends there will be an adult swim from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and everyone-welcome swims from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The number of people allowed in each time slot will be limited to 40, to keep the total number of people in the building at no more than 50.
If the pre-COVID trends continue, they expect the early morning, evening and weekend time slots to be busy, Worthington said. Afternoon swim times are generally in lower demand.
"From what I know, the most eager people are the swim club members," he said.
A group of seniors who used to meet regularly at the pool missed it so much, they continued to meet and socialize in the pool parking lot after the pool closed, he added.
New safety rules will be in effect and the pool has added some new safety features - like dividers between benches in the change rooms – to combat the potential spread of COVID-19, Worthington said. Swimmers are encouraged to come with their swim suit on under their clothes to reduce the amount of time in the change rooms.
Face masks will be required for everyone over the age of two in the halls and change room areas. There will be cubbies for swimmers to store their masks on the pool deck, before they enter the pool.
The sauna, steam room and fitness centre will remain closed, and the waves will be not be operating.
There will be three designated seating places in the hot tub, and only one person will be allowed in the lazy river at a time, Worthington said. Users are limited to five minutes at a time in both, to allow all users access, he added.
There will be up to 35 people allowed in the leisure pool, and the lanes in the main pool will be limited to one person per lane, or up to five swimmers in a double-lane.
"Lifeguards will be there educating (pool users)," he said.
For more information go online to www.princegeorge.ca/aquatics.
