STUDY: No Infections with COVID-19 Tested Concert Audience

NelsonG · January 13, 2021

Results of a recent COVID-19 concert study with a tested audience and no social distancing came back with no infections.

The concert took place December 12 at the Sala Apolo in Barcelona featuring four performances by DJs and local bands, with 463 active participants and a control group of 496 who didn’t attend.

Participants, ranging between ages 18 and 59, said they had been living without coronavirus for the last 14 days and were only allowed entry with a same-day negative SARS-CoV-2 antigen test.

While no social distancing was enforced in the concert hall, each participant was given a certified N95 cloth mask. In addition, the venue had a designated bar zone, limited outdoor smoking area, and security ensured restrooms didn’t get too crowded. Ventilation and air flow was monitored as well.

The concert study went on for 5 hours, with a median time spent inside the concert hall of approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes.

After 8 days, participants were given a second SARS-CoV-2 swab — all tests from concert attendees came back negative, while the two in the control group were infected.

Researchers concluded:

Attending a live music concert staged with a series of security measures that included a negative antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 done on the same day, was not associated with an increase in COVID-19 infections.

The study was conducted by the Foundation against AIDS and Infectious Diseases of the University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona (Barcelona), and funded by Primavera Sound.