Authorities in Barcelona are experimenting with permission for a rock concert with an audience of 5,000 people who have passed a mandatory test for Covid-19, the Associated Press reported.
The aim is to test the effectiveness in preventing the spread of the infection at major cultural events.
Saturday’s concert of the Spanish rock band “Love of Lesbian” has the special permission of the Spanish health authorities. While in the rest of the country the gatherings are limited to no more than four people indoors, the audience of the concert will be able to move and communicate freely, and wearing face masks is mandatory.
Authorities have asked people with heart and cancer conditions, as well as those who have been in contact with those infected with Kovid-19 in recent weeks, not to participate. Applicants had the opportunity to choose three centers in Barcelona to undergo a rapid antigen test for the new coronavirus on Saturday morning. Candidates with negative tests received a code on their mobile phones to validate their tickets for the concert at the Palau Sant Jordi sports complex from 7 pm on Saturday.
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Photo: AP / BTA
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This is the first cultural event of its magnitude in Europe during the pandemic, organizers said.
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Photo: Twitter
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Tickets sold out. The price of 23-28 euros includes the fee for the antigen test and a high-quality protective mask, which can be removed only when eating at the designated places.
The concert was supported by local authorities and experts from a local foundation for the fight against AIDS and infectious diseases, which organized a similar study at a concert with an audience of 500 people in December. They said preliminary results from the experiment showed that pre-concert screening with an antigen test and the use of masks were successful in preventing the spread of the infection indoors, although no restrictions on social distance were observed.
“This is another small step towards being able to organize concerts and cultural events again” during a pandemic, said virologist Dr. Boris Revoyo, who was involved in preparing the event’s health protocol.
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Photo: AP / BTA
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There will now be no control group outside the room in the experiment. The public has agreed with health authorities to inform Dr. Revoyo’s team if anyone becomes ill with Covid-19 in the coming weeks. The team will analyze the levels of infection among the audience compared to the general levels of infection in the country to assess whether it is possible that some of the spectators became infected at the concert. / Antoaneta Markova /
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