Weekly Wave: More on COVID-19 in Water - Spas, Pools, and Hot Tubs

Questions continue to arise on COVID-19 and water--specifically can the virus be spread through contact with water in various forms? To date, there are no known avenues for COVID-19 to infect humans through water. The Weekly Wave has already addressed the safety of drinking water and wastewater. Additional questions concern pools, spas, and hot tubs. Generally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has seen no evidence that COVID-19 can survive in water. In addition, disinfectants commonly used in pools, spas, and hot tubs, such as chlorine and bromine, have been shown to inactivate the virus. Safety dictates that the pool or hot tub should be properly maintained with the correct amount of disinfectant. Some people have asked if soaking in a spa or hot tub might inactivate the virus on human skin. There is no authoritative opinion on the subject; however, the virus may live for up to several days on the exposed surfaces of a pool or spa, so they should not be shared with infected or potentially infected people. Next week - cooling towers and plumbing.