Concert halls and theatres are not places of infection, according to a German Covid-19 study which has been done for the second time. The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, with support from the Federal Environment Agency, underwent a study and it has shed new light onto a hopeful future for live events to take place normally again very soon.
It is said that if attendees wear masks, and the venue is fitted with a proper ventilation system, then the risk of Covid-19 infection is ruled out. Dr Raphael von Hoensbroech stated the following:
“Concert halls and theatres are not places of infection. The past few months have shown that politics needs a scientifically sound basis for decision-making. With our study, we want to ensure that concert halls and theatres may again admit sufficient audiences when they reopen.”
According to the Konzerthaus Dortmund Facebook page, who hosted the study, they found the following:
‘On 2, 3 and 20 November 2020, extensive measurements were made in the auditorium and the foyers of the Konzerthaus. The evaluations of the experimental investigations show that, especially in the hall, the risk of transmission of infections by aerosol transmission can almost be eliminated. In particular, the existing central ventilation system and the wearing of a mouth-nose protection reduce the aerosol and CO2 load so that in theory a full occupation in the hall would be possible.’
Last year, Halle University in Germany carried out a similar Covid-19 study, where 1,400 volunteers (who had a test beforehand and had their temperature taken also) went to three gigs with different measures in place, and it also found that ventilation is the key to lowering the spread of the virus. You can watch a video of the latest study below. Although it is in German, you can translate the captions.
Image credit: Konzerthaus Dortmund (via Facebook)
