4,000 people, an enclosed space, a concert followed by a handball match. For several months, because of the coronavirus epidemic that has hit the world, this kind of word association has no longer been possible. And yet, in Leipzig in Germany, on Saturday, 4,000 people will indeed attend a concert followed by a handball match, all in a closed room.
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For the volunteers of this study carried out jointly by two German universities to measure the intensity of human contacts during this kind of meeting, the experiment began on Thursday. They had to test themselves for Covid-19 two days ago, with a kit sent by the organizers. The infectious disease specialist who heads this study, Stefan Moritz, assures us that "all those who have symptoms are excluded" from the experience. The temperature will also be taken at the entrance to the room and all those who cannot prove that their test is negative "will also be excluded".
Determine when and where there is the most risk
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And once inside, what happens? The 4,000 volunteers will all be equipped with an FFP2 mask to attend the concert, then the match. Scientists, with this experiment, want to model the concentrations of people and tactile contacts in crowds with tracers that participants wear around their necks and phosphorescent disinfectant gel. The idea is to determine when and where there is the greatest risk of contamination. Is it in the stands? In the toilet ? At the refreshment bar? This study should provide some answers.
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The three mini-concerts that precede the handball match will take place in different sanitary conditions each time to allow comparison. The first results of this survey are expected next week.