Mask-wearing at a gig can keep you COVID-free: Study
Wearing a mask – the right type — could be enough to keep you COVID-free at a gig, whether you keep your distance from other punters or not.
That’s among the findings of an experiment in Spain, which put concert-goers under the test at a COVIDSafe show.
More than 1,000 Barcelona residents signed up for the study, which took place Dec. 12 at the Sala Apolo, and featuring four performances by DJs and bands across five hours.
A certified N95 cloth mask was handed out at the door to every active group participant (463 in total), while the control group (496) didn’t enter the venue, but went about their daily routines, according to a Pollstar report.
The average time that the attendees were the room was 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Throughout the event, mask wearing was mandatory, with the only exception for when guests took a drink.
On the flip side, there was no physical distancing in room, which had a spacious capacity of 900 people. Also, folks were allowed to sing and dance.
Air flow was monitored, and limits were placed on the numbers of smokers allowed to gather and light up in an outdoor space.
Scientists have since crunched the data and shared the results, which found none of those in the active group were infected with coronavirus 2, though two control participants contracted the virus.
“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,” researchers say.
The experience wasn’t a buzzkill. Via a questionnaire, concert attendees said they enjoyed the performances, that they had behaved normally and that they didn’t feel controlled or limited by the control measures.
¡Buenas noticias! El estudio PRIMA-CoV que consistía en la asistencia a un concierto realizado bajo una serie de medidas de seguridad confirma que no hubo ningún contagio de COVID-19 entre los asistentes.
— Primavera Sound (@Primavera_Sound) December 30, 2020
Consulta todos los detalles: https://t.co/xajilc5WHH pic.twitter.com/JmN3TdFcrv
While the wearing of masks has become a heavily politicised issue, particularly in the U.S. where COVID-related deaths have pushed past 373,000, this study puts the argument to sleep.
The takeaway from all this: Wear a mask, it could keep you safe.
“Researchers are confident that this data will aid in safe concerts during the COVID-19 era,” the study concludes.
The Barcelona research, say the team behind it, can be replicated anywhere, an argument which is, of course, at the very heart of peer-reviewed science.
Australia has, with the exception of Victoria at various stages in 2020, reported world-leading low community transmission rates and is among the first countries in the world to trial COVIDSafe concerts and sporting events.
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.
Read more here.
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.