Live music promoters still struggle to make their way forward with the threat of COVID-19 looming. In an effort to gather data that may help, German researchers will hold a concert of 4,000 as a scientific experiment. Headlined by Tim Bendzko, it will take place at QUARTERBACK Immobilien ARENA in Leipzig on August 22nd, 2020.
The Guardian reports that the €990,000 experiment, billed Restart-19, is funded by the federal states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Attendees between the ages of 18-50 will wear small tracer necklaces that track their movements and proximity to one another. Fluorescent hand sanitizer provided by organizers will also allow researchers to pinpoint which surfaces of the venue have the highest risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Attendees will be required to prove that they do not have the coronavirus and will be sent testing kits 48 hours prior to the event, greatly reducing the likelihood of an outbreak onsite.
Researchers are expected to publish their findings in October of 2020. Find more details of the experiment on the Restart-19 website.
Image credit: Lucian Alexe
