Christopher BarrettThe promoter of 50,000-capacity Spanish festival Primavera Sound Barcelona said its test concert, without social distancing, has proven a success. Results of the pilot event in Barcelona on 12 December have shown that none of the event’s 463 attendees were infected with coronavirus.
The PRIMA-CoV clinical study was carried out at a concert at the Sala Apolo theatre (cap. 1,608). The five-hour event involved four performances: two DJ sessions and two from live music acts. Singing and dancing was permitted throughout.
All participants were aged between 18 and 59. Prior to the show they had been subject to a same-day entry screening with a negative Covid-19 antigen test performed in nasopharyngeal swabs by healthcare personnel.
Mask wearing was mandatory during the entire event, except when drinking. Alcoholic beverages were served, and a dedicated room was used for the serving of drinks.
Organisers said room ventilation was optimised in the venue’s two rooms, and air flow was monitored throughout the event. Measures were also implemented to avoid queues in and around the venue’s foyer and toilet facilities.
In a post-event questionnaire, event attendees said they enjoyed themselves and felt they had been able to behave normally.
The pilot event was carried out in partnership with the Foundation for the Fight against AIDS and Infectious Diseases and the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital.