Starting this weekend, outdoor pools are reopening for those who want to take a dip, after more than a year of restrictions in aquatic spaces.

Public pools in D.C. have been closed since 2019. Last summer, the city was in Phase 2 of a broad reopening plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and that didn’t include opening up the District’s spray parks and pools.

“Last year we were disappointed that our pools were sparkling and ready for our kids and families to exercise and have fun, but we couldn’t open them so that we could crush the virus,” Bowser said Friday at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Woody Ward Recreation Center in Ward 7.

Now, D.C. is in the midst of lifting most of its restrictions put in place last spring. As of a week ago, restaurants, libraries, museums, and several other types of businesses are allowed to operate at full capacity; nightclubs, bars, and large venues will follow on June 11.

The number and severity of restrictions are going down as vaccination rates go up in the region. Slightly more than 40% of D.C. residents have been fully vaccinated, according to DC Health data.

Come Saturday, DC Department of Parks and Recreation outdoor pools and spray parks will open and operate on Saturdays and Sundays only until June 27, according to the mayor’s office. Indoor pools will follow on June 1. Starting June 28, all DPR pools will have individual summer schedules, allowing some to open six days a week. (The outdoor pool summer schedules will be posted online.) DPR spray parks will also open Saturday, and remain open daily from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. (DPR operates 33 spray parks, 18 outdoor pools, and 11 indoor pools.)

The outdoor pools will be open on a first-come, first-served basis. The lap lanes at indoor pools sites will require a reservation, says Delano Hunter, director of DPR. Masks are mandatory when swimmers using indoor pools aren’t in the water, and deck chairs must be placed six feet apart. At outdoor pools, masks are required when indoors at recreation centers and locker rooms.

And other pools will open as well. Apartments, condos and hotels will be able to open pools at 50% capacity. However, hotel pools can only be open for their guests.

The new pool located at Woody Ward Recreation Center — formerly known as Benning Park Recreation Center — adds to the seven existing pools in Southeast D.C. The 24,000-square-foot building is reopening after an $11 million renovation that includes the new pool and other new amenities: a full kitchen, a dance room with walled mirrors, a boxing ring, and a multipurpose room with a drop down screen and projector.

Due to pool reopenings, jobs are available with DPR. More than 700 seasonal employees will be hired, including lifeguards and camp counselors.

“I don’t know about you, but I am really excited to open pools this summer,” Hunter says.