Do I need regular maintenance on a pool covered for the winter

I’m a pool owner in Southern California.  Weekly maintenance is expensive, and I don’t use the pool (just the attached spa) in the winter.  I’d like to suspend the weekly service and just cover the pool instead from November to May.  We don’t have snow, very low temperatures or very much rain.

If I get a solid or mesh cover, can I go without a pool service for those months and still have it stay balanced and clean?

My pool is a rectangle, but irregularly shaped to accomodate the spa on one end. It’s about 36 feet long and 28 feet wide at the very widest point.

Is a pool cover a good idea, should it be mesh or solid, and what size would I need?

I have a fence around the pool, so don’t need safety features for the grandkids.  I’m a widow and live alone, so need something that is relatively easy to handle.

Sandy, if your swimming pool stays covered, is clean, has a stable chlorine level, and the water stays cold then the pool should be fine. I would recommend testing the water either bi-weekly or monthly to make sure there is a proper sanitization level in the water to make sure it stays clear.