A year without parties and concerts – now events could soon be possible again. How high is the risk of a corona infection? A new study sheds light on this.
Kassel – One of the first measures to contain the corona pandemic was the ban on major events in Germany. Now, more than a year later, the countless measures such as regulations, vaccinations and tests seem to be bearing fruit. The 7-day incidences are falling across Germany. The first easements were decided – with an incidence of less than 100, the catering industry opens and the night curfews are no longer applicable. Nevertheless, many are looking forward to the opening of the discos and the first concerts and festivals.
A research team from Spain is now investigating whether major events can be held despite the corona pandemic. During a major event, the researchers from the University of Barcelona assessed whether certain safety precautions were sufficient to prevent the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus from spreading further. To this end, the research team held a five-hour concert under controlled conditions. The results of the Corona study were recently presented in the renowned specialist journal “The Lancet”.
Corona study: concert with 500 participants in Barcelona
The concert with 500 participants took place in Barcelona on December 12, 2020. All visitors had to present a current negative antigen test and wear an N95 or FFP2 mask. In addition, the hall was ventilated via a ventilation system. At the time of the concert, the 14-day incidence was 220.8 per 100,000 people in Barcelona. The antigen test could not rule out the possibility that one or more infected people were in the audience after all.
The team also carried out a PCR test for all participants before the concert, but the result was only available after the concert. The PCR test actually showed that 13 of the 465 test subjects (2.8 percent) were infected with corona. No minimum distance had to be observed on the dance floor of the concert. The masks had to be left off all the time there. The masks were allowed to be removed at the demarcated bar. Here, however, a minimum distance from other people had to be maintained.
Corona study: check-up of the 500 participants
A check-up was also carried out eight days after the concert. A PCR test showed a negative result for all 465 visitors to the concert. Even the 13 people who had a positive test result before the concert had apparently recovered in the meantime. The research team came to the result that apparently nobody was infected with Corona at the concert.
The team summarized their results: “Our study provides preliminary indications of the safety of indoor mass events during a Covid-19 outbreak under a comprehensive preventive intervention”. The new data from the study from Spain could now help to define the framework conditions for cultural activities during the corona pandemic in order to make such events possible in a timely manner.
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List of rubric lists: © Jan Woitas / dpa
