Paris (AFP)
“It’s been so long”: 5,000 spectators have an appointment on Saturday to dance to the sound of Indochina hits and rediscover the atmosphere of live, in the Bercy pit in Paris, during a concert coupled with a scientific study eagerly awaited by a sector hard hit by the Covid-19.
“It’s been so long that we waited for the reopening of this kind of event. So there, finding a concert, in addition to Indochina, it’s quite formidable”, enthuses Camille, 26 years old, from Val d’Oise. neighbor to see again, “for the fifth or sixth time”, Nicola Sirkis and her band on stage.
Before entering the arena, she must hand over the envelope which contains a saliva test carried out on Saturday, after a first antigen test carried out over the last three days and which turned out to be negative, one of the conditions for participating in the ‘study.
In the room, no distancing, but compulsory mask. And to respect the curfew still in force at 9 pm, the concert, free, starts at tea time, with a first electro part provided from 5 pm by Etienne de Crécy, figure of the “French touch”, before Indochine in 6 p.m.
The veteran group formed in 1981, which filled the stadiums and whose hits, from “The Adventurer” to “I asked the moon”, have crossed the generations, return on stage after having to postpone for a year ( in spring-summer 2022) the tour of his 40 years, because of the health crisis.
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“We already had our seats for the Stade de France, it will be next year, we keep them,” smiles Valentin, a 29-year-old technician, who wears a black Indochina t-shirt.
– Sea serpent –
This experiment, already carried out elsewhere in Europe, had become a sea serpent in France, where it was postponed several times. It finally takes place against the backdrop of a clear improvement in the health situation, two days before the start of vaccination for all adults.
But the stakes remain high for the entertainment sector, which sees the resumption in dotted lines, despite the green light since May 19 for seated concerts, with distancing.
So far, standing festivals have been allowed this summer, but with a limit of one person per 4 m2. Many of them have already thrown in the towel (Solidays, Eurockéennes), only rare events being held, most often in a seated format and with a gauge (Francofolies, Printemps de Bourges, Vieilles Charrues).
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A festival-goer for 4 m2, “for a sector that lives off ticketing, it’s untenable”, judges the general manager of the Musical and Variety Show Syndicate (Prodiss), Malika Séguineau, who is carrying the project with the AP- HP (Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris) for the scientific component, with the support of the government.
One month away from the regional, several politicians have planned to make the trip, including the ministers of Health and Culture Olivier Véran and Roselyne Bachelot, the president of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse and the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo .
– Two groups –
The study should make it possible to demonstrate that if they test negative for Covid-19 upstream, spectators are not at greater risk of becoming infected at the concert than in normal times.
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The experiment, the first results of which are expected at the end of June, is only open to 18-45 year olds who do not present a risk of serious forms (obesity, hypertension) in the event of contamination.
Out of 20,000 volunteers, a group of 7,500 was selected after a first negative antigen test between Wednesday and Friday.
Among them, 5,000 people will dance to “Your Black Eyes”, while 2,500 will have to stay at home. All participants are encouraged to take a saliva test on Saturday, then another seven days later. The number of positive cases will be compared in the two groups.
The experiment also aims to test the inclusion of the negative test in the tousanticovid application, foreshadowing the health pass. Finally, cameras must make it possible to measure throughout the concert whether the mask is still well worn, but not to target this or that spectator, assure the organizers.
Previous experiences, in Spain or the UK, have not shown a high risk of contamination.
© 2021 AFP
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