as of: 06/27/2022 15:17
Over the weekend, a 13-year-old boy drowned in Hamburg’s Elbe. He couldn’t swim. The German Life Saving Society (DLRG) is concerned about safety in the water as there are more and more non-swimmers.
President of DLRG Ute Vogt warns. “We figure we now have two school years of non-swimmers.” The reason is the extraordinary swimming lessons related to the coronavirus epidemic.
Lack of staff in the pools
The result: The children are now in third grade and often wouldn’t have seen the inside of the pool unless their parents arranged it, says the DLRG president. So there would be plenty to do but not enough staff at the pools to handle the rush.
A third of Hamburg’s outdoor pools are closed
Almost a third of outdoor swimming pools in Hamburg are currently closed, according to a Baederland representative. The situation is complicated. Baederland has run the swim school since 2006 and also offers make-up sessions during the holidays.
Swimming offensive action after Corona
Since last summer, there has been a swimming attack due to the Corona virus. But there is a lack of personnel to train lifeguards. Therefore, the DLRG chairman is calling for a round table with federal, state and local governments.
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