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Beaumont city pools will remain closed this summer to help curb COVID-19 spread

"This thing is real, people are dying. I take it serious and I take the health of my fellow man and the citizens serious as well."

BEAUMONT, Texas — COVID-19 has caused cities like Beaumont to take unprecedented actions like closing public pools for the summer. 

The decision has left many in Beaumont wondering how they'll spend down time.

On a normal summer day, you would most likely find Jonathan Lester at the pool at Alice Keith Park. 

"It's like 90 degrees and I wanna go to that pool," Lester said. 

What has become a seasonal tradition has been put on hold since public pools in Beaumont are closed due to COVID-19 concerns. 

"We tried making a pool in our backyard over there and it didn't turn out too well. It needed filter changed all the time." Lester said. "It's just much better to have public pool."

Beaumont recreation division manager Stacey Lewis told 12News leaders took two things into consideration. 

First, they don't want to take any chances of contributing to the spread. 

Second, they're concerned about staffing this late in the season. 

"If we're gonna makes some decisions, we're gonna always err to the side of caution," Lewis said. "This thing is real, people are dying. I take it serious and I take the health of my fellow man and the citizens serious as well. We're gonna lock step with what we believe is right and we're gonna do what we're suppose to do."

Other Southeast Texas cities are making different decisions. Nederland is reopening its pool, limiting capacity and so is Vidor.

While Lester may not agree with city leaders, he does acknowledge the seriousness of the virus.

"I know the corona stuff is going in everything, but that should not stop kids from coming out here from having fun with their families," Lester said. 

As of now, there is no timeline set for when City of Beaumont pools will reopen. If you're looking to beat the heat, you can always go out to area bodies of water.

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