COVID-19

Should Arizonans take precautions at water parks?

Morteza Abbaszadegan is a professor of environmental microbiology and director of National Science Foundation Water and Environmental Technology Center at Arizona State University in Tempe.

The Arizona Republic asked him whether COVID-19, which is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2,

can be transmitted through water. Here’s what he said.

Can you get coronavirus from a pool or water slide?

Getting on a water slide may come with some risks, but contracting the new coronavirus from the water is unlikely to be one of them.

“Water is not going to be the reason someone gets COVID-19”, Abbaszadegan said.

“Waterborne transmission of COVID-19 is unlikely.”he said, because the virus is killed by chlorine.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that COVID-19, can be spread through water,

Is it safe to go to the pools ?

Because chlorine is effective in killing the coronavirus, you are unlikely to contract it from being in a public pool.

When visiting places that have reopened, however, it’s important to take safety precautions.

Abbaszadegan emphasized that you need to maintain social distancing – at least 6 feet – from other visitors.

Wash your hands regularly or use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol and avoid touching your face.

The CDC also recommends using a face covering.

Everyone should wear a cloth face cover then they have to go out in pub-lic,” reads the CDC’s website.