The city of Barcelona has already organized a test concert.
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Copyright 2020 The Associated Pr
After long months at a standstill, the hope of a resumption of cultural life is reborn with the forthcoming organization of test concerts.
The objective: to assess the risks of the spread of Covid-19 in closed public places and to develop health protocols to limit them as much as possible.
The use of indoor air purifiers could represent an interesting solution by eliminating almost all the viral load present in the air.
Rediscover the life before the coronavirus, rediscover the forgotten pleasure of attending a concert, immerse yourself in the middle of a crowd of spectators and simply savor the moment.
Is this only possible today or in the near future?
While cultural life has been at a standstill for many months due to the pandemic, the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, announced this week the organization of test concerts, with the public.
Experiments should be carried out in the spring by the AP-HP and Inserm, in Paris and Marseille, to assess the potential risks of reopening theaters during the Covid-19 era, and to devise health protocols for ensure public safety.
Wearing a mask and screening for everyone will be required.
But what about the air quality within these enclosed spaces?
Wouldn't there be a health benefit in disinfecting it to minimize the risk of transmission?
Cluster surrender?
In the capital as in the Phocaean city, wearing a mask will, as we have said, obviously compulsory for all concert participants, who will also be given hydroalcoholic gel, and will be subject to screening.
Roselyne Bachelot, however, clarified that in Marseille, the positive cases "will not be filtered, because we must put ourselves in a situation where there will be a mixing".
If infected people are thus authorized to attend cultural events in closed public places, even masked, is there a cluster risk?
"This will make it possible to find out because, in our opinion, in the future, we will not be able to test everyone at the entrance, it would be too expensive", estimates Aurélie Hannedouche, of the SMA (Syndicate of current music).
"It is quite incomprehensible to let in contaminated people," wonders Dr Jérôme Marty, doctor and president of the French Union for Free Medicine (UFML).
Does Ms. Bachelot intend to become a cluster creator?
Because if you have a super-contaminator inside, it can easily infect dozens of people ”.
“With very strict protocols, we think that there is no increased risk of infection during a concert.
But we have to prove it and therefore carry out a scientific study, ”replies Dr Vincent Estornel, emergency doctor and member of the Do3me collective, which brings together professionals from music, events and the medical world in Marseille.
As a reminder, no case of contamination had been noted after a standing test concert of 500 masked people in December in Barcelona.
Disinfect indoor air, "a priority"
"Even if the virus is not yet eradicated, we must return to a social life and a cultural life," insists Carine Rolland, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of Culture.
But “we know that in a closed environment where the air is not renewed, contamination is mainly caused by aerosolization,” recalls Dr. Marty.
It is indeed necessary to reopen cultural places, shops and restaurants.
But to do so, we need a health protocol where the purification of indoor air becomes a priority, it is decisive in the control of the epidemic ”.
An opinion shared by Alexandre Okorokoff, founder of OKO Solution, a distribution company for orthopedic components, who has decided to focus on indoor air purifiers using UV radiation.
"What interested me was to offer a device capable of killing all germs and viruses while eliminating odors," explains the one who distributes the devices developed by the company Sanuvox in France, one world leaders in the sector.
"This cutting-edge technology works by emitting two wavelengths identical to those produced by the sun: 95% UVC having a germicidal effect, and 5% UVV allowing to destroy odors, with an efficiency of 99.9999 % in the destruction of bacteria, viruses and spores, ”he explains.
These lamps, which have just received their CE certification, are already equipping the central station of Montreal in Canada, "as well as schools and nurseries in Ile-de-France", indicates Alexandre Okorokoff.
“If we are well equipped, we can reopen everything!
"
A device which has the advantage of "not requiring the use of chemical virucidal fluids", specifies the entrepreneur.
Installed in the ventilation ducts, these lamps continuously disinfect indoor air and thus prevent the circulation of contaminated air.
"A device that complements the barrier gestures, it is not a question of removing your mask, but of reinforcing protection", he emphasizes.
While many devices are available on the market, most of them target domestic use, to purify the indoor air of a home.
“We adapt the equipment according to the size of the space to be covered, which can therefore range from small restaurants to large theaters, including cinemas,” he adds.
An interesting innovation for Dr Marty, "while many purifiers marketed for closed public places rely on technologies that are not efficient enough".
For several months, the doctor has been pleading for general air purification measures in closed public places.
“President Macron has only just put the emphasis on ventilation, when it is basic common sense.
It's almost as important as the mask, he says.
Imagine that there are ten infected people in a performance hall.
Everyone is masked, the risk of contamination is reduced because the mask decreases the viral load in the air, it retains 90% of viral excretions.
But if in addition you have efficient air purifiers, which replenish the quality of the outside air inside, the safety is maximum.
If we are well equipped, we can reopen everything!
"
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