emember the days when it seemed ‘normal’ to have the guys over for Saturday beers, play a few non-distanced drinking games (even share a cup), and then head downtown for a night on the town? Seems like those days are over, right? Well, if you checked out the recent article on what Wuhan’s been up to, you might think otherwise. Well, let’s check in on German city Leipzig to see how things are going in their neck of the woods.
An Indoor Concert Experiment on how to Return to Normality
Yes, the rates in Europe have been on the rise since the end of July, but instead of seeing the pandemic numbers as a setback, Germany saw it as an opportunity. Researchers in the German city of Leipzig staged a 1,500-person experimental indoor concert on Saturday to better understand how COVID-19 spreads at big, busy events, and how to prevent it. They even used glowing hand sanitizer and electronic trackers. Is it us or do the German’s really have this all figured out?
How the Experiment Worked
The world can’t be on lock down for eternity, so hosting an experiment where attendees could at least enjoy themselves as we pave a path back to normality is honestly exactly what we need. The concert featured a live performance and attendees were provided with respiratory face masks, fluorescent hand gel, and electronic "contact trackers”. The trackers determine contact rates and distances of each experiment participant.
A statement from University of Halle’s Professor Michael Gekle, the dean of the medical faculty and a professor of physiology:
"We cannot afford another lock down," he said. "We have to gather the data now in order to be able to make valid predictions," he said.
How the Trackers Worked
Researchers intend to use data from each tracker to examine the amount of “critical contacts” had by each participant, including specific times and locations in the venue. The residue left from the hand gel will identify the most commonly touched surfaces. In a very clever nutshell, the data will hopefully be used to not only pave a way to normality but also to bring big events, including sports, back safely!! Yay, Germany!!
