Baden-Württemberg: Schopper wants to keep part of the baths open when there is a lack of gas

Is a bathing ban reasonable in the event of an intensified gas crisis in autumn and winter? If necessary, Kretschmann wants to have swimming pools closed.

Baden-Württemberg: Schopper wants to keep part of the baths open when there is a lack of gas

Is a bathing ban reasonable in the event of an intensified gas crisis in autumn and winter? If necessary, Kretschmann wants to have swimming pools closed. But there is contradiction from their own camp.

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Education Theresa Schopper wants to keep at least part of the swimming pools open in the event of a gas shortage in winter. In order to save gas, municipalities would have to develop step-by-step plans and, if in doubt, close outdoor pools and lower the temperature, said the Greens politician to the German Press Agency in Stuttgart. “But if there really is a gas shortage, you have to make sure that we have an infrastructure where, for example, swimming courses can continue to be held – possibly in groups.” Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) recently declared that if there was an energy shortage in the fall, fun and indoor pools would have to be closed if necessary.

Schopper pointed out: "During the two years of Corona, we had great difficulties teaching children to swim at all." The state invested two million euros last year to offer swimming courses again in bulk. "Learning to swim is not just about being able to move like a fish in the water, but of course it has something to do with safety," said the minister, who is also responsible for youth and sport.

From her point of view, fun pools could be closed sooner - and that's how Kretschmann understood her. "In a gas shortage, the question of whether I can still slide down the fifth and sixth slide and whether I keep a fun pool open has a different quality than a pure swimming pool," said Schopper. "A black-and-white number in the sense of swimming pools completely open or completely closed is not expedient at this point." In principle, the municipalities are responsible for the swimming pools. The minister is in favor of looking at how many swimming pools there are in the area in an emergency. "It's different in urban centers than in rural areas. It can't be lumped together."