The big German COVID-19 concert experiment. Would you volunteer for something like this?
The live music industry has been decimated by the coronavirus. And given that the pandemic is going to be with us for a while, people are looking at ways to safely stage gigs again. And not only do need to be done with complete safety, it’s important to see what happens to fans, performers, and crew after the gig is over. Contact tracing, in other words.
The Germans seem to be way ahead on this. On Saturday, there was a concert in the city of Leipzig. Some 1500 people were invited to an experimental indoor concert. The goal was to learn how COVID-19 spreads at big events and how to prevent that spread.
Onstage was Tim Bendzko. Fans were given respiratory face masks, fluorescent hand gel and electronic trackers. These devices determine what and who fans came into contact with. They also measured the distances between individuals.
Now that the show is over, researchers from the University of Halle will analyze the number of “critical contacts” by people in the venue. Residue left by the hand gel shows who touched what.
The data will be shared with those who want to bring back big events, including sports.
Question: Would you participate in a similar study?
Germany held a tightly-controlled experimental indoor concert to see if gigs can be held during COVID-19. Would you volunteer for a similar gig?
— Alan Cross (@alancross) August 24, 2020
How’s your German?
We’re watching with interest.
