Petition urges Hong Kong swimming pools to be reopened based on science, with clubs and coaches struggling to survive
- Petition organiser Dominic Tsui, of Fastlane Swimming, says the science shows chlorinated water is safe against the Covid-19 virus
- He says the government is not interested in the hardship stories of out-of-work coaches but he wants to know why pools remain closed
A Hong Kong petition calling on the government to immediately reopen swimming pools is demanding a scientific reason for keeping them closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dominic Tsui, founder of Fastlane Swimming and who started the online petition at change.org, said he has gone beyond pleading for sympathy for the hundreds of coaches whose livelihoods are under threat, or the thousands of swimmers denied the chance to stay physically active.
He simply wants to know why the government has refused to reopen pools when he claims the science says it is safe.
“I think we can play the hardship stories again and again but government is not interested in helping the finance side of things,” said Tsui. “Many sectors are affected. But the key argument is science.
“The question to ask the government is what is the science they used to determine the opening and closing of pools. They have the authority to make that decision, we don’t.