Ector County Reverses Decision to Close All Public Pools, Adds New Restrictions

ODESSA, TX – Just days after announcing all public pools would remain closed in Ector County as a preventive measure against COVID-19, the Ector County Health Department has decided to allow pools at apartments, hotels, and motels to open.

According to CBS7, Ector County Commissioner Eddy Shelton announced on Friday afternoon that “since residents had following distancing rules so well so far, the county was comfortable opening pools back up.”

Pools must follow the following guidelines to be allowed to reopen:

Hand Hygiene, Respiratory Etiquette, and Adequate Supplies

• Encouraging all staff, patrons, and swimmers to wash their hands often and cover their coughs and sneezes.
• The facility must provide or require the visitor to have hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol with them while in the pool area. Once the individual exits the water they are required to sanitize their hands before touching any objects.

Modified Layout

• Changing deck layouts to ensure that in the standing and seating areas, individuals can remain at least 6 feet apart from those they don’t live with (provide signage stating the distance requirement).

Signs and Messages posted in Pool area

• Educating staff, patrons, and swimmers about when to stay home (for example, if they have symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID-19, or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the last 14 days).

• Signage on how to stop the spread of COVID-19, proper handwashing, promotes everyday protective measures, and proper use of cloth face coverings. Posted in highly visible locations (example of signage can be found on the CDC website).

Maintaining Health Environments

• Cleaning and Disinfection
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces at least daily and shared objects each time they are used. For example:
• Handrails, slides, and structures for climbing or playing
• Lounge chairs, tabletops, pool noodles, and kickboards
• Door handles and surfaces of restrooms, handwashing states, and showers

Water Systems

• Drinking fountains must not be in use for the 2020 season

Shared Objects

• Discourage people from sharing items that are difficult to clean, sanitize, or disinfect (goggles, nose clips, snorkels, pool noodles, kickboards, etc.).

Gatherings

• Avoid group events, gatherings, or meetings both in and out of the water if social distancing of at least 6 feet between people who don’t live together cannot be maintained.
• Exceptions would be anyone rescuing a distressed swimmer, providing first aid, or preforming cardiopulmonary resuscitation, with or without an automated external defibrillator, or the process of evacuating an aquatic venue or entire facility due to an emergency.

This decision does not affect the City of Odessa's pools, which will remain close for the summer.

Ector County has a total of 109 cases, four patients have died and 75 are counted are counted as recovered. As of Friday afternoon, Texas has reported 45, 198 cases, with 1,272 fatalities and 25,454 recoveries According to the numbers presented by DSHS nearly seven percent of the 645,992 Texans that have been tested have been positive.