What you need to know right away in 2021.
Although cultural institutions have yet to open their doors in France in January, representatives of the music world are planning to organize test parties to assess the risks of the virus spreading at cultural events. The main aim of the experiment is to save the summer holiday season.
The idea came from an experiment organized by the Spanish Festival Primavera on December 12 in Barcelona, where about five hundred people stood listening to a concert inside. Upon entering, everyone had to undergo a rapid antigen test, wearing a mask was mandatory, and it could be hung when having a drink, but there was no mandatory distance.
According to a statement from the Catalan festival, there were no injuries at the event.
In France, many similar experimental concerts are on the agenda, where the so-called pilot concert working group has been created by the national association of private theater and festivals producers, Prodiss.
“We are planning a test party for March, because ideally, according to the Ministry of Culture, we will see the end of the tunnel by then.”
Jean-Paul Rollin, director of the Eurocene music festival, told AFP. “We are consulting with a lot of people, epidemiologists, testing laboratories, the National Music Center and the City of Paris, and there is only ministerial approval, as this can only be regulated under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, and even the Ministry of Health and the Interior.”
The site for the first test will be a larger auditorium in Paris.
“Scientific answers will be available in the weeks following the test, but from an organizational point of view, answers will be available that day, in terms of logistics and timing of rapid tests or PCR tests upon entry.”
Festival director said.
In his opinion, it is inconceivable that everyone will be tested at the big summer festivals upon entry, but a quick test could be an additional solution for those who come to the event without a test.
According to Malika Segoyeno, Director of Prodiss, without such experiences, it is not possible to organize concerts in front of the audience during the festival season, and organizing the tours requires a preparation time of at least 3 to 24 months.
In Marseille, southern France, two similar concerts will be organized in the near future at the initiative of the city administration, and their results will be published in early April.
(MTI)
