How Safe Are Hotel Pools This Summer?

It’s been a while since most of us have taken a refreshing dip and, with temperatures rising, many will want to grab their swimming costume and head for a pool. However, in this new world order nothing seems straightforward and keen swimmers have been left confused as to what is currently allowed and indeed, what going for a swim will look like in the future.

In a mask-wearing, socially-distanced world, much has changed about the way we travel. But as states enter later phases of reopening plans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with hotels finally welcoming travelers back, some summer staples of travel remain. Namely, the hotel pool.

Offering a respite from a quarantined spring, hotel pools—from architecturally-stunning options like The Rosewood Miramar Beach pool, to family-friendly swims like that at the Chatham Bars Inn—are tempting.

But is this summer indulgence, one that often comes with crowds, confined spaces, and a water environment that isn't always mask-friendly, a safe one? Conde Nast Traveler asked three public health experts about the risk of coronavirus in pools to find out.

Is it responsible to use a hotel’s pool?

Dr. Sten H. Vermund, dean of Yale School of Public Health: Crowding is a factor. Guests may also come from higher-risk venues, such as hotel lobbies and restaurants, or may not have quarantined. One just does not know. If the pool is very uncrowded and social distancing is possible, the risk is low. Masks should be worn [outside of the pool] when not eating.

Dr. William Greenough, a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: We know that the prime way the coronavirus is spread is through airborne contact with droplets, hence the rationale for leaning on face masks. Many people use the pool together. 

If someone is coughing and spitting water a few feet away, you can catch the coronavirus. Keep social distancing in the pool and stay away from people who are shouting and in groups. Playing Marco Polo is probably not a great idea in the COVID-19 era. At a pool, I say eight feet apart is better than six feet apart—and stay upwind of people.

Dr. Susan Hassig, an epidemiologist at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine: Yes, I think it is as long as you abide by all of the other parameters. You should be masked until you get into the water, stay away from others in the water, and keep your lounge chair at least six feet away from others.

How do the risks for catching coronavirus in pools differ from those in the ocean?

Vermund: Most beaches have stronger winds than a protected hotel pool. Wind spirits away droplets more quickly and increases dilution in the air—a good thing. Both chlorinated water and saltwater are unfriendly to the virus. We cannot say that ocean or lake or swimming pool water is safer. However, chlorine is anti-viral, so we can be confident that well-maintained pool water should kill coronaviruses.

Greenough: Chlorine is protective and a pretty safe way of disinfecting most bacteria and viruses—that's why it was adopted. Most pools are required to chlorinate by law, but it doesn't hurt to ask if they’re testing pH and chlorination daily or twice daily. I don't know of any data that says saltwater would harm the virus, but the dilution factor of the ocean is huge.

Hassig: I don't know that they differ much. The same sorts of criteria apply. It's not the water you need to worry about; it's the people who are also trying to enjoy that space. Masking and keeping distance is key. The virus isn't going to survive in saltwater—it’s going to denature over an extended period of time. It's not going to survive in chlorinated or brominated water [a treatment similar to chlorine] either, which act very quickly on it.

What do we know about COVID-19 and sunshine?

Vermund: Sunshine inactivates virus, but it takes time. On stainless steel or plastic, SARS-CoV-2 lives up to three days, and on cardboard or paper, up to one day. One can presume that full sunlight might reduce that by two-thirds, but that’s just a guess. A droplet or aerosol in proximation to others will still be risky.

Greenough: We know that high-intensity ultraviolet kills the virus and we use that to sterilize rooms in the hospital, but solar UV is not anywhere close to that. It’s likely—as a guess with little science behind it—that surfaces in the bright sun are less likely to spread the virus than cool, dark, moist areas, but surfaces are still likely to be a hazard even in sunshine.

Hassig: Theoretically, sunshine contains UV frequencies of light, so it could have some potential dampening effect, but it's only going to have an effect on virus that’s outside of the human body. It may potentially have some minimal protective components on things like rails of the pool ladder, for example.

Is an outdoor pool safer than an indoor pool?

Vermund: Yes, but only if physical distancing is taken seriously. “In-your-face” is risky in either context.

Greenough: Only because an indoor pool may be more crowded and may be in a smaller place.
Dr. Hassig: They probably are reasonably equivalent as long as there isn't a large gathering of people.

What precautions should you keep in mind if renting chairs, ordering food, or using pool facilities?

Dr. Vermund: A wipe-down of potentially contaminated surfaces is always a good idea.

Dr. Greenough: At a hotel, you like to see measures like clear partitions and plexiglass between paying customers and staff, people wiping down rental chairs, and staff observing all of the necessary precautions as they relate to food—signs that management is diligently trying to suppress the spread.

Dr. Hassig: Ask the hotel what their policies are in terms of the disinfection of the non-water parts of the pool. They obviously have a responsibility to chlorinate the pool, but you should be asking about other measures they’re taking.

July 10, 2020