June 12, 2020
On June 8th Governor Northam announced that Northern Virginia would move to Phase 2 beginning Friday June 12. The HRARA Board of Directors has met to begin the process of implementing some of the new components included in Phase 2. Activities such as diving, water exercise classes and swimming instruction are permissible during this phase. You can read the Virginia Forward Phase Two Guidelines, the section directly related to swimming pools is located on pages 23-24.
The board has decided to begin implementation of the following activities:
- Lap Swimming – Beginning June 13th, lap swimming will be limited to three persons per lane with ten feet of physical distance per swimmer. According to guidance from the State, this applies even for members of the same family. It is accepted that swimmers will pass each other in the water while swimming laps. If a member chooses to share a lane with family on their membership or another member, they may make the reservation in their name on behalf of themselves and up to two additional people. The reservation of that lane will only count as one reservation allocated for that member, not the number who will be using the lane. Members will still be able to reserve a lane for themselves to swim alone (for the time being). Members will not be asked to share a lane with someone else without their consent. The reservation system and session allocation policy will remain the same.
- Water Aerobics – Beginning June 21st, the water aerobics class will be offered on Sunday mornings (11 – 11:45 AM) and Wednesday evenings (5 – 5:45 PM). The class size must be limited to allow all participants to maintain ten feet of physical distance. Learn more about the program.
- Diving – Beginning June 24th, the diving boards will be available for use on Wednesday evenings (6 – 8:45 PM). Each diving board will be limited to three persons and ten feet of physical distance per diver must be maintained.
Beginning Monday June 15, all swimming sessions will begin at the top of the hour and last for 45 minutes. Our staff will then conduct the necessary cleaning and sanitation procedures prior to the start of the next session. The on-line reservation system has been updated to reflect this change.
The board will continue to review and discuss other items included in Phase 2 and how they can be implemented at our facility. There is limited guidance and detail that we have been provided with regards to the implementation of these and other requirements. It is our goal to provide as many activities and options as possible while still ensuring a safe environment for our members. The baby pool, lawn, wood decks, playground, grill area and basketball court remain closed. We would like to hear from our membership to help us determine what activities you are most interested in and when they should be scheduled. Please take a moment to complete this survey:
We will continue to communicate with our membership as restrictions are lifted and change over the summer. We thank you all for your patience and understanding during these first few weeks since opening the pool.