can you catch it while swimming?

The coronavirus is spread through the air by contaminated droplets. Is water a vector of propagation and can you be infected by swimming in a pool or in the sea?

While many beaches and a few swimming pools have reopened, the question of a possible contamination in the water arises. But ultimately water may not be the main danger.

Can you catch coronavirus while swimming in the pool?

Swimming pool water being treated at chlorine and others disinfectants ((bromine, ozone, UV…), it is unlikely that the virus survive it for a long time. Chlorine thus kills most microorganisms in less than 30 minutes. On April 24, the High Council for Public Health (HCSP) clarified that " no studies on the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in pool water is currently not available, but also clarified that swimming pool water does not seem a suitable place for the survival and development of viruses "

Can you catch coronavirus while swimming in the sea?

The French research institute for the exploitation of the sea (Ifremer) has carried out analyzes of seawater samples on the three maritime façades of mainland France and did not detect any trace of the coronavirus. Data deemed "reassuring" even if thesampling is limited. In addition, the virus appears to be very sensitive to light. According to a study of the American government, " the light of Sun has a powerful effect on killing the virus, both on surfaces and in the air" The half-life virus (time needed to halve its dangerousness) is reduced to two minutes in the presence of sunlight, against 18 hours for a given temperature between 21 ° C and 28 ° C and a humidity rate of 20%.

The chances of survival of the virus in the young basins natural water, lakes and ponds are nevertheless higher than those of treated or salted water, warns the Higher Council for Spanish Scientific Research (CSIC).

Promiscuity, the real danger of swimming

Whether at the pool or at the sea, it is not so much the water that presents a risk, but rather the overcrowding. Since we don't spend our time underwater, we can become infected if a sick person blows or throws contaminated droplets nearby. Especially since by swimming you tend to expel water through your mouth and breathe hard. This explains why the beaches limit their access and that the pools are preparing to adopt measures to restrict entry. It is also possible to be contaminated by contact with a ladder metal, a deckchair or a handful of door in the locker room. It is therefore essential to wash your hands after bathing.

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Coronavirus: tomorrow, all masked? SARS-CoV-2. It appeared in China in December 2019. Since then, it has claimed tens of thousands of lives worldwide. To limit the spread of this coronavirus and in the absence of treatment or vaccine, various measures have been devised. Among which, the wearing of a mask.

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