Canceled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 epidemic, Eurovision will take place this year … and will even welcome the public. The European song competition, which is being held this year in the Netherlands, winners of the 2019 edition, has been retained in the Dutch government’s test concert program. 3,500 spectators are therefore authorized to attend the final on Saturday 22 May, as for the semi-finals which took place on 18 and 20 May, i.e. around 20% of the capacity of the Rotterdam-Ahoy hall where the competition is being held.
The aim of the Dutch test events program is both to find solutions to organize gatherings in the future without the risk of spreading the virus, but also to see how the public behaves in practice towards sanitary rules. Concerts, sports matches and even nightclub parties: around ten pilot events were authorized in the Netherlands in April and May in this context, when France only plans to organize its first test concert with Indochina in Paris on May 29.
No barrier gesture to respect
To attend Eurovision, spectators must therefore undergo a Covid test before entering the venue, and commit to performing a second one five days after the event to ensure that they have no not been contaminated. No spectator may remain standing, but once seated, it is permissible to remove their mask. Physical distancing is not required either. “This is part of the test,” the government explains on its website. In this way, the researchers will be able to see if the events can be made safe by applying measures other than barrier gestures.
As for the artists, a very strict health protocol has also been put in place, including in particular regular tests in the teams. Several delegations were placed in isolation on their arrival in Rotterdam after the detection of cases of Covid-19. A member of the Daði & Gagnamagnið group, which represents Iceland, and Duncan Laurence, the winner of the 2019 edition, have notably tested positive. If Eurovision in public has a taste of the world before, no doubt, the virus is still there.
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