(Live) – A storm among senior citizens at the "Haifa Waves" pool: Recently, a new ban came into effect – you can't enter the pool with water shoes. These are shoes specifically designed for swimming, worn mainly by adults and seniors to prevent slipping. Now, when they are required to go down the slippery steps barefoot, many of them fear for their lives.
An 81-year-old Haifa resident, a longtime member of the "Gali Haifa" pool, who contacted "Hai Peh," is seeking to repeal the new ban that has come into effect - a ban that she says is life-threatening.
"This pool is my second home," she says. "I've been swimming in it almost every day for many years. To keep myself safe, I wear special water shoes purchased at a professional sports store, and I also wear jerseys so I don't slip. My doctor from the health insurance company even gave me medical clearance to wear shoes in the pool, because she knows how critical it is for my safety."
But just a week ago, she received a "crushing blow": one of the pool lifeguards informed her that due to a "new law," she was not allowed to go down the pool steps wearing water shoes. The pool manager agreed to the directive, and since then, like the other adults, she has been forced to go down barefoot - at real risk.
"This is not just a restriction – it is life-threatening. I know quite a few adults who have already slipped and fallen, and I myself almost broke an arm or a leg because of this ban. It happened just a few days ago, and fortunately it didn't end in disaster. How does it make sense that I am forbidden to defend myself?"
The reason given for the ban: Water shoes pollute the pool. "It's just ridiculous," she says in pain. "After all, there's often urine, saliva, blood, vomit in the pool - people don't always follow the rules of hygiene, and no one forbids them from entering. But water shoes, which prevent slipping and save lives, have suddenly become a sanitary problem?"
She says she checked with other pools in Haifa and around the country – and nowhere does a similar regulation exist. "In all the pools I went to, water shoes are allowed and even recommended. Only here, at Galei Haifa, did they come up with this prohibition – precisely in a place where there are so many adults who need security."
"I appeal in every possible way to cancel this order before a disaster occurs. I hope that the media publicity will help us, the adults, to continue swimming, getting stronger, and taking care of ourselves – without risking our health on slippery stairs. Let us maintain our personal safety with measures designed for exactly that."
"Haifa Waves" response:
At Galei Haifa Sports Center, we strive to provide a safe, pleasant and healthy user experience for all our customers, while maintaining uncompromising adherence to quality, cleanliness and compliance with all regulatory requirements, including Ministry of Health standards. In this context, we are always attentive to the needs of all our customers – especially seniors – and see them as important partners in the activities of the sports center. The guideline that it is not possible to enter the pool with shoes of any kind, including water shoes, is a professional guideline that has existed for years – and stems from considerations of public health and water quality.
The professional reasons for this include:
- Maintaining water hygiene – the soles of shoes, even if they are designed for them, are exposed to external contaminants such as dust, oils, asphalt, and bacteria – which may damage the quality of the pool water.
- Maintaining the health of bathers – introducing pollutants into the water can cause skin and eye diseases and infections – especially among sensitive populations such as children and the elderly.
- Compliance with Ministry of Health standards – the standards determine the level of cleanliness and quality required in public pools, and we strictly maintain them – a result that is reflected in routine tests performed by the authorities and indicates an exceptionally high quality of the water.
- Equality and safety – the rule applies to all users and is intended to ensure a uniform and clear policy.
We regularly implement solutions specifically for seniors, which provide safety when walking around the pool without harming the water quality.
We are committed to continuing to care for the safety, health, and enjoyment of all visitors to the center.
These are shoes intended for water and pools. This is a request of a dangerous nature for bathers. The ban should be lifted as soon as possible.
And what about the failed old man you elected again for mayor? Will he also come in without?
There's no more bullshit than the greeting response. The first one to break an arm or leg will sue them. They probably got insurance, but you can take a spin on the pool.
Dig and find out what this stupid installation is.
It makes perfect sense. Even at the Warrior's House in Haifa, you wear your water shoes when entering the water. You can walk to the pool with flip-flops and leave them on before entering the water, put on your water shoes and when you get out of the water, change back into flip-flops and walk to the showers, where it is advisable to shower with flip-flops and not barefoot, because the floor in the shower is not clean either.
It sounds like the pool management has made a decision to change the target audience and want to attract young, underprivileged customers for the summer... and empty the elderly from the pool for that period with the new law. Shame.
Many adult bathers do not consider the most basic hygiene rules. This means they do not shower before entering the pool, do not wear hats (especially important for hair dyed with chemicals that wash off in the water), come even when they have an open wound, and come with dirty water shoes that are not washed after use.
The situation in Israel is that of a densely populated country where the population lives in a way that is inconsiderate of others in any area and only shouts when asked to be considerate of others. It is possible to create safe steps for all ages and also special pools for children and the elderly population if their number is large so as not to disturb the swimmers.
In Israel, we haven't learned to live in a crowded country, and we haven't learned a culture of politeness for such a life: keeping quiet, keeping your distance, not touching, not shouting on your cell phone in public spaces, not smoking near someone without asking their permission, and more. We behave in an ugly way and then wonder why there is stricter legislation to try to repair the damage of a lack of culture and education.
Even standing in line all the time, this generation of adults today, the middle generation in Israel, has been raised to 'elbow' and push around everything, and I was there first, and I just went to buy more things for a moment and put my cart here to save space, and the line at the post office doesn't matter because I'm always let in without a line... ugly behaviors that they wouldn't dare do in other places in the world.
Sad how true it is.
I haven't heard such big nonsense in a long time.
Shoes designed for water are put on just before entering the water and are not used for walking on the streets where there is asphalt and oil.
Apart from this, the feet also contain quite a few contaminants such as fungi, poor hygiene, and various other diseases.
The concern about contaminating shoes can be resolved by placing a dispenser containing disinfectant at the entrance to the water complex and instructing all bathers to dip their shoes in it before entering the pool.
Gali Haifa's response indicates an arbitrary decision, ignorance, and unwillingness to find a solution.
The pool water must be mixed with chlorine/bromine and the concentration must be tested at least several times to purify the water from bacteria, etc. It's not the shoes that are the problem, even though a bare foot is safer than any shoe. It's just a harmful fad.
A puzzling decision and unconvincing explanations. No one walks on the street with water shoes, only in the pool area. So walking barefoot is just as "polluting." You could be required to wash before entering the pool. Safe walking is very important, especially in the third age group. It would be better if they removed this fabricated decision.
Nonsense, water shoes do not pollute at all, and if there is such a concern, ask to wash your shoes and feet before entering the pool. Where did you come up with the law that it is prohibited?
In the pool, you have to listen to what the Ministry of Health says. Are they only used in the water? Is it because they are moving around? If the shoes are outside the pool, then you can really get infections. This is all a new fad. What did they do a few years ago?
People were spoiled if it was for safety then just lock them inside the pool and don't walk around with them. People sometimes drink water from the pool unintentionally. You should invite a visitor to check.
The issue of shoes, because everyone's health is important, not modernity, one person following the other. He has shoes, I bought them too. And then if today people don't want to take their shoes off in the pool, in the end, the one who decides is the safety of the areas in the water. Management will bring an inspector from the Ministry of Health, and he will decide.
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Tamar, you are right, but the solution I gave of rinsing before entering the water solves the problem and we should not deny older people the right to protect themselves from slipping.