Five thousand people attended a rock concert in Barcelona on Saturday after passing a same-day screening test for COVID-19.
Music fans gathered into the Palau Sant Jordi arena where the indie rock band Love of Lesbian was playing after getting the win from their corona-virus antigen test taken earlier in the day.
The demonstration took place with the special permission of the Spanish health authorities in a pilot to investigate whether the rapid test system could be effectively blocked. COVID-19 ar-a-mach.
In supernatural scenes after a year of social distance, people would dance close together, but the sea of masks covered in masks showed that things were not entirely normal.
Health controls at the entrance delayed the start of the concert, but they could not spoil the spirit of the concert.
“Welcome to one of the most exciting events of our lives!” Lead singer of Love of Lesbian Santi Balmes told the crowd in high spirits.
After the concert, concert player Jose Parejo said: “We were able to avoid reality for a while. We were inside the little bubble of our concert. And we were able to remember back in time. when things like this were normal. Things aren’t normal today, unfortunately. “
Salvador, 29, who was a publican, said: “It was amazing. We felt safe the whole time. We were in the front row and it was something we really missed.
“We are very proud to have had the opportunity to take part in this. We hope this is the first of many.”
The attendants were tested for coronavirus antigens earlier in the day
The pre-concert audition was held in three locations in Barcelona, made up of 80 nurses with full personal protective equipment.
By noon, three out of 2,400 people screened had already tested positive and one had been approached for a positive case, said Dr. Josep Maria Libre, a doctor in charge of the test.
Those who confirmed positive could not attend the ceremony but would be eligible for a refund.
Attendees received their antigen test results in 10 to 15 minutes via an app on their phones. The test and mask were included in the ticket price between € 23 and € 28 (£ 20 and £ 24).
Organizers say this is the first commercial audience event to reach a major audience in Europe due to the pandemic
The trial is expected to last three years and will be funded by money from the EU’s recovery fund.
It was designed in an effort to boost the economy of Spain and the country, in which more than 3.2 million cases were confirmed and more than 75,000 deaths.
Local authorities in Barcelona supported the event, preceded by a smaller concert of 500 people in December.
According to experts, that initial case study showed that pretreatment was successful with antigen testing and the use of face masks to prevent infections within the center, despite the fact that there were no social distance rules among people. attendance.