Hygiene rules

I refer to the letter headlined, 'Pristine pools' (South China Morning Post, April 10) and would like to respond in respect of public swimming pools managed by the Provisional Regional Council.

The Public Swimming Pools (Regional Council) By-laws prohibit a person with communicable disease from entering a public swimming pool.

Swimmers are required to pass through an overhead shower and a footbath at the exit of the changing room before entering the pool deck. Pool staff take action to enforce the by-laws which include the prohibition of spitting in the pool area.

On pool hygiene, apart from regular cleaning of the pool, water testing to check that free residue chlorine is kept at the required level is conducted once every hour.

Samples of the pool water are also taken for chemical and bacteriological analyses on a regular basis.

The Regional Services Department keeps in close contact with the health authorities and relevant government departments in order to ensure that the hygiene conditions of the swimming pools of the Provisional Regional Council meet international health standards.