Residents Improvise To Stay Cool As Public Pools Remain Closed, Officials Release Guidelines For Apartment Complexes
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — With temperatures soaring across Southern Californa as people stay home and community pools stay closed, residents are looking for ways to stay cool.
Cara Purgason Carrillo and her family have begun using water faucets and inflatables to stay cool.
"We are hanging out outside our apartment, playing with water," she said. "I have a two-year-old old at home, just trying to survive."
"I've seen other families outside their apartment with buckets of water, water guns, just making it happen," said Purgason Carrillo.
At one Target in Pasadena, store shelves were mostly empty and nearly sold out of kiddie pools.
Jenny Walkup was able to snag one just in time.
"I just happened to walk by and the guy was offloading new ones, so I was like, 'Hey, I need one of those.'"
Some county officials have released guidelines for pools at condo and apartment complexes to help keep residents safe while they play in the sun.
Pasadena and Riverside County released some guidelines for apartment complexes to follow if they choose, but there is no date to reopen city or county pools.
Some of the guidelines for apartment managers and homeowners associations include:
- Create a disinfection plan.
- Post hygiene signs.
- Implement social distancing by limiting the pool to only one or two families at a time.
- Wear face coverings.
- Conduct pool safety checks.
Pasadena city officials said because of the difficulty in enforcing social distancing, pools most likely won't reopen for recreational swimming.
Officials say there is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread to through pools, but maintaining good chlorine levels may help prevent it.
