The benefits of water exercise - Especially in a COVID world
All of the evidence indicates that COVID is neutralized in a properly maintained pool. Further, whether you are in a home pool or a club based pool the spread of the virus from touch surfaces is vastly reduced.
You do not need to wipe down water. You just need to be careful with water based equipment and handrails and even those items are being constantly doused in chlorinated water. Then if you are in a public pool, stay in the middle of your lane which for most pools keeps everyone at least 6' apart. Finally, be respectful of those next to you and if winded do not breath towards others and when finished leave the pool right away.
So while, using a pool for exercise does not eliminate the possibility of COVID it offers a much cleaner alternative to land/machine only exercise routines. Another benefit of properly maintained pool environments is that they have very strict air exchange requirements, which also helps to reduce the potential for a COVID infection.
If you are interested in learning how to use water for exercise and do more than just swim laps, I am available for consultations and training, both online and in person. Professionally, I have been using the pool as an exercise modality for every level of fitness need for almost 30 years. I have also published a research study on water exercise and knee osteoarthritis in conjunction with the University of Connecticut, School of Physical Therapy.