Hundreds of Canberra kids are set to make a splash this week as they return to swimming lessons following class closures during COVID-19.
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Swim school Aquatots is reopening on Monday after closing in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Australia.
The school teaches 5600 children weekly across four locations in Forde, Black Mountain, Gold Creek and Googong in NSW.
Aquatots is reopening for all swimming lessons, however aquarobics and outside swim programs will not return just yet.
It is one of a number of businesses reopening after easing of restrictions in the territory on Friday as things move further towards normality.
Aquatots managing director Alena Sarri said the business would reopen in accordance with government guidelines.
"All of our instructors have gone through COVID-safe training before we started," she said.
"We have also retrained them on how teach the swim lessons with minimal to no touching.
"We're not using any toys and equipment to start with to avoid contamination."
Ms Sarri said instructors will use verbal and visual aids to assist students, instead of physical manipulation.
Additionally, the pools are set up so children can navigate themselves independently.
At all four locations there are a range of new measures to improve safety.
These include floor markings to illustrate social distancing, having entirely online bookings, using a barcode entry system instead of a touchpad and using automatic doors to avoid touch points.
"We have encouraged parents to just have one parent per child when entering the building so we don't have any unnecessary spectators," Ms Sarri said.
"Our bathrooms and our changing facilities are open but they do have a limited number of people allowed in at any one time.
"Showers are not available so people don't spend too much time in there so there is a bit more turnover in the change room."
Another difference is an upgrade for new pool filtration systems.
"We've upgraded our water-sanitising system, we use a UV filtration system so the virus can't actually live through it."
Additionally the water turnover has increased to under an hour to help keep the water clean.
"It means that if there was the [COVID-19 virus] around, it doesn't have much of a chance," she said.
Aquatots were originally planning on opening earlier in June but due to discrepancies between ACT and NSW restrictions they opened later.
A key discrepancy was rules around change rooms.
"The use of the change room facilities was a big game-changer for us," Ms Sarri said.
"Because it's winter, and it's freezing for the kids both in NSW and the ACT to leave the pool wet without getting changed."
While excited for the reopening, Ms Sarri fears the break from swimming could lead to more drownings this summer.
"Unfortunately swimming skills aren't something which [people] retain," she said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we look at the drowning statistics this summer and we find that we are a little bit higher than usual because of the big break these kids have had."
"We really want to get them in as quickly as possible, getting them learning and getting them prepared for that swimming season so we don't see those fatalities."
Aquatots was established in Canberra in 2002 and provides aquatic education for students as young as six weeks, all the way to adult learn to swim programs and squad swimmers.