After the rock test concert, which was held on March 27 in Barcelona,
"no sign"
of Covid-19 contamination was detected among the 5,000 spectators present, organizers said on Tuesday April 27.
Participants danced in masks without being subject to distancing measures, showing that concerts are possible despite the pandemic.
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PCR tests were carried out on everyone present, two weeks after this concert by the group Love of Lesbian. In a press conference, Josep Maria Llibre, doctor at the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital in Badalone, announced that
“there is no sign that suggests that a transmission took place during the event, which was the objective of this study ”
. The public, who had been tested for antigen before the event, wore FFP2 masks.
According to the doctor, only six positive cases out of the thousands of spectators were detected two weeks after the rally.
But the organizers are certain
"that for four of these six cases, the transmission did not take place during the concert"
.
“With optimized ventilation, antigenic tests and wearing a mask, we can guarantee a safe space
,
”
added Josep Maria Llibre.
Pioneering experience
In addition to the FFP2 tests and masks, ventilation as well as reception capacities in critical places such as toilets were strictly controlled. Organized by a group of festivals, producers 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. In addition, another test concert took place in early March in the Netherlands, bringing together 1,300 people.
“Once again, Barcelona and Barcelona culture are pioneers in an unprecedented situation where cultural activity must be preserved with all health guarantees
,
”
said Jaume Collboni, first deputy mayor of Barcelona.
"It is possible to relax the restrictions and combine this with cultural activities that must resume,"
he said.
"The world had their eyes riveted on us, many people asked us how we had done"
, for his part explained Angels Ponsa, in charge of culture within the Catalan regional government.
A first experiment, carried out by the same team of researchers, was carried out on December 12 in the Catalan capital, where nearly five hundred people had gone to the Apolo concert hall. Two previously tested control groups were formed, the first having had the chance to participate in the concert, the second having to stay at home. The antigenic tests carried out thereafter did not detect any contamination within the first group, but noted two positive cases in the second.
