The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives greatly. It forced people to pay special attention to health issues, take care of families and be maximally careful when visiting different events.
Indoor and outdoor concerts, subject to a number of safety measures, can be safe and not lead to infection with Covid-19, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The essence of the study
The study involved 465 people who attended a music concert. In total, there were about 900 people in the hall. After the event, none of the participants in the experiment contracted Covid-19, the researchers said.
Before the beginning of the concert, all participants in the experiment underwent LFT tests (rapid tests for coronavirus): everyone who had negative tests went to the event.
Participants in the experiment were allowed to dance and sing during the concert, and social distance was not required.
“The research shows that music concerts, when the necessary safety measures are taken everywhere, can take place without the risk of spreading coronavirus infection,” says Josep Llibre, one of the study’s lead authors from the University Hospital of the Trias and Pujol Brothers (Badalona).
He also noted that one should not lose sight of the fact that the experiment was conducted during a period of calm epidemiological conditions.
Groups involved
In addition to the group that took part in the experiment, there was a control group of 495 people. Participants in the control group also took the coronavirus test and did not attend the concert, instead, they had to go home and go about their daily activities. During the study, two cases of getting infection were identified in the control group.
All participants in the study – both those who went to the concert and from the control group – were between the ages of 18 and 59. Those who tested positive for coronavirus or those who had been in contact with the sick person shortly before the experiment, as well as those who have people at risk (elderly relatives) living in the house, were not allowed to participate in the study.
The study authors also took into account that the participants in the experiment, due to the very fact of participation in the study, could behave more cautiously than usual under the same conditions. However, all participants in the survey stated that their behavior was not affected by participation in the experiment and they behaved as usual.
Comments of scientists
As Llibre emphasizes, the data from this study may be incorrect for any other epidemiological situation: during a sharp increase in infections or when other, more contagious variants of coronavirus infection are spreading.
According to the scientist, further research is required in this direction, taking into account the use of other combinations of protective measures and with the participation of more people.
“Mass events are usually associated with a higher risk of the spread of coronavirus infection, and the decisions to cancel such events played an important role in helping to bring the pandemic under control. But it means serious financial losses “, – says one of the authors of the study, Boris Revollo.
According to him, now it is important to find a combination of anti-epidemiological measures, subject to which mass events can still be carried out without causing an increase in the amount of ill.
In this experiment, the authors of the study hoped that the spread of coronavirus infection during a concert would be avoided by using masks of a fairly high degree of protection and by testing for coronavirus infection 30 minutes before the concert.
Is such protection suitable for all events?
Scientists also note that this type of organization is not suitable for all public events. They say that speaking about some concert halls, providing the necessary security measures will be pretty expensive.
In addition, it is very difficult to organize testing of several thousand spectators a couple of hours before the event, the researchers note.
Speaking about outdoor festivals, they are much safer. As we know, most of them take place outdoors, which reduces the risk greatly. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean you can forget about safety measures.