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Is it safe to swim in chlorinated water with others who may be infected? Is is safe to swim in non-chlorinated water (such as a lake or quarry)?
Yes, swimming in chlorinated or non-chlorinated water should be safe, from the standpoint of risk of COVID-19 (I will not address the other risks associated with swimming such as drowning, sunburn, potential infections with other contaminating pathogens). The risk of getting an infection with COVID-19 is mostly with the typical social activities associated with the local community pool or lakes and steams of local parks. The sharing of towels, foods, water toys, etc. (which is a large part of the fun of these swimming activities) poses a risk of transmission of COVID-19. Using the shared facilities (e.g., bathrooms, showers, snackbar, picnic tables, etc.) also pose potential risks of transmission of COVID-19. Grouping without masks (who wears a mask while swimming?) in close proximity to one another is a known risk for transmission of COVID-19. But, the water itself is not really a risk, unless you are swallowing water that someone just spit out of their mouth—and that would be gross too.
