Statement from Big Blue Swim School

Starting with the two main claims of transparency and following social distancing
guidelines.
 
Regarding transparency

·  When Big Blue Swim School re-opened following the COVID Closure (in June) we
shared a detailed letter with staff outlining our COVID-19 policies. Those policies were
also shared at staff meetings and deck meetings, and several updates were provided
along the way.
·  Big Blue had two employees test positive for COVID-19 in early July
o   Our policy required them to follow three sets of guidelines - that of the CDC, the
Illinois Department of Public Health, and the recommendations of their healthcare
providers. At the time, the guidelines required them to quarantine for at least 10-days
and 72-hours symptom free, as per the guidelines at that time.
o   We notified all staff of the pool where the two members tested positive, as well as
parents who were in the facility on the same day.  We then made purposeful and direct
communication with anyone who was “in close contact” with the person based on the
CDC definition of closer than 6’ for more than 15min.  
·  After the two positive cases, we were visited by the Department of Public Health, who
passed our COVID-19 practices “with flying colors,” as they said. We were also visited
by Business Affairs and were also given a strong approval.
·  We also educated our families about our operation policies, and our COVID
restrictions. We shared details through several channels that explain what we do before,
during and after lessons to keep our staff and families safe. You can learn all about that
here:  https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/blog/covid-protocol/
 
 
Regarding our social distancing

·  We crafted guidelines that exceed federal, state and local recommendations and
follow those guidelines at all of our locations. You can find those details here.
https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/health-and-safety
·  Regarding the temperature taking – if anything, our families have commented that we
may be too thorough and that our process can slow things down because we are
meticulous about it. I also share with you just a few recent comments we’ve received
from families.
·  I’m forwarding you another email that includes just a few comments we’ve received
from families about our social distancing practices. Please check for that message
following this one.
·  Regarding an exodus of staff – we want to explain that when we were forced to close
in March, we paid 100% of our staff their full shift pay through our entire closure. When
we re-opened, we offered all of our staff an opportunity to take a leave of absence if
they were not yet comfortable returning to the pool. Seven staff members took that
leave of absence. Some have returned while others are continuing their leave.
Regarding the use of CaviCide

·  We use CaviCide in a diluted proportion that is a safe part per million (ppm) according
to the FDA. This is the same solution that is used in hospital NICU’s, in daycares, and
schools. It is shown to kill viruses and is similar to chlorine, which we use in our pool
water. We use it to disinfect swim toys at the pool in a safe ppm.
·  Staff were provided with all masks and gloves required during dry shifts where
cleaning is part of the job expectations for safe handling of any cleaning products.  
 
Regarding safety of our facility, this is one of the things that sets Big Blue Swim School
apart from just about every other pool out there. We have always gone the extra mile to
maintain a safe and secure facility. Our pools use a filtration system that is 10-times
more effective than traditional sand filters.
 
Our water filter removes particles down to 1 micron in size. For comparison, a grain of
sand is about 100 microns, pollen is about 30-50 microns, red blood cells are about 8
microns, and bacteria is about 2 microns.
 
The pool water cycles through our filtration system 6-8 times a day to ensure we are
constantly churning out clean water into our pools.
Not only does our water filtration system keep our pools pristinely clean, it is also
environmentally friendly. It wastes up to 90% less water and uses 50% less energy than
traditional pool filtration systems.
 
After our water is filtered, it goes through an ultraviolet light (UV-C light, or germicidal
light) sanitizer to kill any remaining bacteria and viruses.
 
Our UV-C lights target harmful bacteria and other microorganisms to alter their DNA /
RNA so they can’t reproduce. Without the ability to reproduce, they die.
The UV-C light rays themselves are contained in the filtration system, so they aren’t
harmful to any of our swimmers.

Finally, we have a separate HVAC system that filters fresh air from outside 6-8 times
per hour.