Germany organizes music event to learn about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many clubs, bars and concert halls around the world have been forced to close to prevent the virus from spreading. Music fans are always looking forward to the day they can continue to enjoy performances with friends.

With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise in Europe, this dream may be far away at the present time. But some music fans in Leipzig, Germany, soon had the opportunity to do this by attending an event, accepting to use fluorescent hand sanitizer and electronic tracking devices.

According to CNN, researchers in Leipzig, Germany, held an indoor experimental concert with 1,500 people on August 22 to better understand how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads at large, crowded events and how to prevent it.

At the event, fans were given masks, fluorescent hand applyers and an electronic "contact tracker" - a small loudspeaker that determines the contact speed and contact distance of each individual participating in the experiment.

Using data from contact tracking devices, scientists from Halle University (Germany) will track the number of "c important exposures" each participant has during a specific time and location, while sulfur hand applying will determine the surfaces they are often touched on. With this study, researchers also hope to bring major events, including sports, back safely.

Professor Michael Gekle, head of the department of medicine, said the experiment could help officials prepare better for events in the upcoming fall and winter.

"We cannot afford another blockade. It is necessary to collect data now to be able to make accurate predictions. We want to provide politicians with a tool to reasonably decide whether to allow such an event to take place or not. It also means that it is necessary to predict how many more people can be infected by the event," said the professor.

"These are the first fireworks displays we have received from the audience in many months. I hope to continue performing at big concerts again in the near future. But we all understand that we have to live with the virus now, we have to accept certain risks," said musician Tim Bendzko, who performed live at the event.

The COVID-19 epidemic in Germany has been re-igniting since late July. On August 22, the country recorded 2,034 new cases - the highest since April, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute. As of the afternoon of August 24, Germany had a total of 234,489 COVID-19 cases, of which 9,332 people had died.