Recreational pauses in daily routine. - Multiple urban areas initiate the outdoor swimming season.
On May 1st, some outdoor pools start their summer season with the arrival of pleasant spring weather. In cities like Essen, Düsseldorf, Aachen, and Münster, the outdoor pools will open for the first time this year. However, other cities are taking their time due to issues surrounding staffing and pool heating costs.
Keeping the vast amounts of water in outdoor pools at a comfortable temperature when the weather is mild is an expensive task for local authorities. In a typical example, the city of Essen announced that it would only heat the water in the pools to 24 degrees this year, a practice they've maintained since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Rather than opening right on May 1st, many cities are choosing to wait a while longer. The average season for outdoor pools is set to run from mid-May to mid-September, according to a spokesperson from the DGfdB swimming pool association in Essen. In Duisburg, the first outdoor pools will open on a Saturday, while in Cologne, certain outdoor pools will enter a 'traffic light phase' on May 11th - and subsequently open or close depending on the weather conditions.
A key factor contributing to this shift is the challenge of finding enough staff to manage both indoor and outdoor pools simultaneously. The association spokesperson noted that some cities close their indoor pools during the outdoor pool season so that lifeguards can focus their efforts on the outdoor pools.
Germany is currently facing a lifeguard shortage of between 2,000 and 3,500 specialists, who not only supervise the pool but also oversee the pool's technology and water conditions. In addition, there is a shortage of people on hand to monitor pools during peak summer hours. These staff shortages have led to hourly restrictions in outdoor pools in several cities in the past.
Despite these challenges, the vast majority of outdoor pools across the country are expected to be open during the Whitsun weekend (May 18-20). This marks a longer stretch of outdoor pool seasonality, designed to make the most of the nice weather.
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Source: www.stern.de
