Santa Barbara swimmers can dip their feet into reopening recreational pool facilities starting with Los Baños Del Mar on Tuesday, May 26. This will be the first in the greater Santa Barbara area to reopen after the countywide COVID-19 closure on March 16.
The response to the pool opening has “overwhelming and extremely positive,” said Rich Hanna, recreation manager for the city Parks and Recreation department. As of Monday, every available slot for the first five days had filled. When new spots open, they have been filled within 10 minutes of being published, he said. Parks & Rec is exploring adding more swim time options centered around pre-programmed and scheduled aquatic programming.
But there are new rules: The modified pool opening is under Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health guidelines. Swim lanes are limited to one swimmer per lane, and lane assignments must be booked online in advance, a city press release stated. Swimmers must bring their own equipment — public, shared equipment will not be available —including their cloth face covering for when they are poolside and in the restroom access.