CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- An increased risk of coronavirus exposure wasn’t the only potential “spike” that weighed into city officials’ decision to close Cumberland Pool for the summer.
Necessary and mandated supplies -- including personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer and basic disinfecting products -- are experiencing a global shortage, leading to steep price hikes and questionable availability for the immediate future.
Citing apparent “lousy timing” between the city’s May 14 announcement that it was canceling summer programs and activities and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted’s declaration several hours later that public swimming pools could reopen after Memorial Day, Councilman Mike Ungar sought reassurance for residents.
“We’ve got to resolve all doubts to show that we are staying on top of a fluid situation,” Ungar said. “And that the safety of our residents and employees remain paramount.”
At City Council’s May 18 Committee-of-the-Whole meeting, conducted remotely over YouTube because of continuing COVID-19 concerns, City Parks and Recreation Director Joe McRae provided an explanation.
“There may be a perception that we are out of line with state and federal recommendations; we are not,” McRae said. “In this case, the risk is tied to lives. It’s hard to justify opening our summer programs with the issue of lives and public safety at hand. And we’ve been working on this since March.”
McRae pointed out that there is still no vaccine and that the potentially deadly and highly contagious coronavirus can still be readily transmitted by people who have it but are not showing the symptoms yet or may even be “asymptomatic.”
“It’s no less contagious now, and we still have limited access to tests, PPE and cleaning supplies,” McRae said, noting that hand sanitizer was costing as much as $45 a gallon as of May 18. “Access would be extremely difficult in the amounts we would need.”
By nature, city recreation programs and public facilities make social distancing difficult, from swimming to youth and adult sports programs to the summer concert season at Cain Park.
“And it’s hard to keep a face mask on a 4-year-old,” McRae added.
Swimming by appointment could also be problematic, given the pool's popularity and the possibility of rain days.
Allowing "lap swim" times at the pool could also lead to issues of fair and equitable access.
“In short, it’s still a risk, and we’ve struggled with this decision for weeks,” McRae said, adding that neighboring communities are “all in the same boat” and have reached the same conclusion, many of them after the state announced that public pools were allowed to reopen.
Although Cumberland Pool in recent years has not opened until after school officially lets out in June, it is generally filled with water and just about ready to go by Memorial Day. That's not the case this year due to the continuing threat of coronavirus. (Tom Jewell, special to cleveland.com)
Health threat remains
In her May 20 update to council, City Manager Tanisha Briley noted that the state’s switch in some instances from “orders” to “strong recommendations,” as well as announcements of conditional openings, have rightfully created some confusion for everyone regarding the impact of COVID-19.
"On the one hand, the state appears to be relaxing restrictions and allowing reopening of businesses while cities, including Cleveland Heights, are canceling activities and limiting access to public buildings," Briley wrote.
"As if the pandemic itself wasn't enough, we are now finding ourselves trying to navigate what feels like a myriad of conflicts in what we should and should not do to protect ourselves and our families," she continued.
She also pointed out that “COVID-19 continues to spread in our community, as shown by our increasing case counts, hospitalizations and deaths.”
While she does not want people to live in fear, Briley reasserted that "the facts have not changed. And, while we all learn to live with this new reality, that doesn't mean we should assume more risk than absolutely necessary, especially when the downside of that risk includes serious health complications and death."
As for the possibility of alternative summer programming within safety guidelines, council's Community Relations & Recreation Committee was scheduled to meet Thursday (May 28).
Read more from the Sun Press.
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