The scientists want over 4,000 volunteers for the experiment which will be held in Leipzig on August 22. Popular German singer Tim Bendzko will serve as the day’s entertainment.
A group of German scientists are trying to stage a concert next month in an enclosed venue to see how coronavirus spreads.
The scientists want over 4,000 volunteers for the experiment which will be held in Leipzig on August 22. Popular German singer Tim Bendzko will serve as the day’s entertainment.
Germany, which is known for its musical contributions to the world such as Kraftwerk, Rammstein, and is where David Bowie, U2, and Iggy Pop recorded some of their most iconic records, is a popular destination for concerts in the summer as bands from around the world hit the European tour circuit.
By staging the concert, which at the moment has 1,000 volunteers who range in ages from 18 and 50 and have tested negative to the coronavirus, they want to study how the virus can be transmitted with hordes of people in a small space and study ways to combat it in such venues in the future.
The volunteers, who will be tested before being allowed to participate, are not being subjected to any viruses but solely used to see if and how the germs are spread. Each volunteer will have to wear a mask and will be given wearable devices that transmit data every five seconds, including proximity to other devices and location within the venue.
They will also be given fluorescent disinfectant so the scientists can examine which surfaces are touched the most and what can be deemed dangerous.
The scientists will use a fog machine to visualize the potential spread of the virus through aerosols.
"We are trying to find out if there could be a middle way between the old and the new normal that would allow organizers to fit enough people into a concert venue to not make a loss,” Stefan Moritz, who is heading up the experiment, told The Guardian.
The experiment will cost over $1 million.
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