One month after Covid trial concert in Barcelona, results are optimistic

There were no proven cases of transmission at the event

On 27 March, medical researchers in Catalonia carried out an experiment by letting 5,000 people attend a rock concert at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. One month later, the results are in and they show that there were no proven cases of Covid-19 transmission among the attendees. The conclusion is that this shows a way forward to a return to normality, social life and the organization of large-scale events in a safe manner.

This indicates that it is possible to safely organize large events

Before attending the concert, the participants all underwent rapid Covid-19 tests and at the event itself all of them wore FFP2 masks, however, they did not have to distance socially and could freely mingle. Additional measures that organizers provided was the improved ventilation of the venue and more orderly procedures at the toilets and bar areas.

The band which entertained the music fans was Love of Lesbian, a Spanish indie-pop band. They thanked the event organizers and the people who took part in the experiment.

Medical researchers from Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital in Badalona reported that two weeks after the concert there were in fact 6 cases of people testing positive for coronavirus from the control group. For four of these, it was proven that they likely contracted it after the gig at another place, and for the other two, no reliable source of contagion could be established.

Altogether, this meant that the people who attended the concert had half the transmission rate as compared to the general population. This shows that indoor gatherings involving crowds of people can be organized if a certain protocol is followed, such as pre-testing.

This concert was the largest legal gathering of people in Europe since the start of the pandemic so its results were awaited by many, especially given the approaching summer and the fatigue from prolonged social isolation on the continent.