PUTRAJAYA, June 19 — The special ministerial meeting today decided that the water sports sector for non-contact training activities may restart, said Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He explained that this was after the Youth and Sports Ministry proposed the standard operating procedures for the sector to the committee yesterday.
“Swimming activities, including diving and snorkelling, are permitted in swimming pools, according to set sessions and limited to a set number of people based on the pool’s capacity,” he said during the thrice-weekly press conference.
Those permitted to resume their training include national, state, and club athletes, as well as swimming academies in certain programmes. Programmes on learning how to swim are also permitted to resume their activities.
“All participants and athletes in training activities must comply with all sports and recreation standard operating procedures including registering on the MySejahtera app, maintaining social distancing of three to five metres during training exercise, and leaving the premises as soon as possible after training ends.
“Swimming activities are to be conducted in standard pools used for training and competitions, and its users must ensure self-hygiene before entering. Pool operators must ensure appropriate internal SOP, limit the number of swimmers in the pool as well as in the showers or changing room,” Ismail said.
The minister added that operators are also required to conduct chlorine-level tests in the pools every two hours, to ensure it is at an optimum level.
“The pools will be able to reopen for sports training effective next Thursday. Operators, clubs and academies must register with the International Trade and Industry Ministry to notify the authorities, at notification.miti.gov.my, so their SOPs can be monitored by the Youth and Sports Ministry,” he said.
He added that pools in places like gated communities, hotels, recreation clubs where swimming activities can be controlled, are allowed.
But he said permission for them to do so will depend on the pool’s SOPs, and requires on-duty personnel to ensure the number of users at any given time is under control.
