A 1,500-Person Study Aims to Discover How Large Concerts and Indoor Events Can Return Safely During the Pandemic

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that a concert was held on August 22 at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, Germany as a part of a study to test how and if large events can be held safely in the era of COVID-19.

Read the full story HERE.

The daylong study called Restart-19, was set up by scientists in order to better understand why large events spread COVID-19 so effectively, and to see the best ways to minimize the risk involved with large events.

All participants received COVID-19 tests less than 48 hours before the concert. Those with negative results who passed the temperature scan at the entrance were allowed in the building.

Audience members wore face masks, and a digital location tracker which monitored the number of "critical contacts" made by each participant, whom they came in contact with and for how long. Participants received bottles of hand disinfectant laced with a fluorescent dye so that scientists could identify with ultraviolet light what surfaces they touched, and the potential hotspots for spreading the virus.

Michael Gekle, dean at the University Medical Center of Halle, which organized Restart-19 shared: "At the moment we have no good data about how people behave at concerts or other big indoor events...The purpose of this experiment is to get scientific evidence to help make reliable predictions as to the risk of additional infections related to such an event."

The team behind the experiment expects to present their findings this month.

Check out the full story HERE.