Concert In BarcelonA: No Sign Of Contagion, Despite 5,000 People

This is news for the organizers of this test concert in Barcelona, ​​determined to demonstrate that concerts are not necessarily synonymous with outbreaks. This rock test concert organized in the Catalan capital on March 27 did not lead to “any sign” of contagion, according to the organizers. However, 5,000 people had participated in this large-scale event, while being masked, but without being held to social distancing. Two weeks after this concert by the Love of Lesbian group, all participants underwent PCR tests. “There is no sign that any transmission took place during the event, which was the aim of this study,” said Josep Maria Llibre, doctor at Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital in Badalone. , during a press conference.

The audience, who had been tested for antigen before the concert, wore FFP2 masks. According to the doctor, only six positive cases out of the 5,000 spectators were detected two weeks after the concert. The organizers are certain that in four of these six cases, “the transmission did not take place during the concert”. “With optimized ventilation, antigen testing and wearing a mask, we can guarantee a safe space,” he added. In addition to the FFP2 tests and masks, ventilation as well as reception capacities in critical places such as toilets were strictly controlled.

A previous experience just as conclusive

Organized by a group of festivals, musical promoters and the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital who wanted to show that concerts are possible despite the pandemic, this experience is one of the few to have taken place in Europe in current music. “It is possible to relax the restrictions and combine this with the cultural activities that must resume,” said Jaume Collboni, first deputy mayor of Barcelona, ​​during the press conference. Already in December, the same team of researchers had organized a pilot project in a hall in Barcelona, ​​with 500 spectators tested beforehand. A few days later, none had contracted the virus.