The crowd at London s O2 Arena. Credit: Ollie Millington/Redferns
A second study conducted in Germany has reportedly shown that there is minimal risk of Covid-19 being transmitted at an indoor concert venue.
The study, which took place at Dortmund’s 1500-seat Konzerthaus, was carried out over three days in November to analyse the movement of airborne particles in an indoor environment.
Led by the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute and backed by Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, the study saw scientists using a high-tech dummy to simulate human breathing in the Konzerthaus.
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After measuring aerosol transmission across the venue on three separate dates, the team concluded that the risk of infecting someone “through aerosol transmission can be almost ruled out”, providing that the venue has a sufficient fresh-air supply and all attendees are wearing face masks.
A dummy was used to simulate the human respiratory process
A new study co-commissioned by the Dortmund Konzerthaus has shown that concert halls can operate at 50 per cent capacity with ‘almost no risk’ of infection from Covid-19. The study, run in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute and the Federal Environment Agency, took place in the Konzerthaus and shows that a ‘checkerboard’ pattern of seating in the auditorium would be enough to ensure audience safety.
In the study, conducted over three days, a dummy equipped to simulate human breathing was placed at strategic points around the auditorium, sometimes with a mask and sometimes without. The aim was to track the spread of droplets and carbon dioxide from the dummy in the atmosphere. The study concluded that: