As a part of the path into easing lockdown and restrictions in the country, Amsterdam‘s clubbers were invited to a controlled party this past weekend. The event took place on March 6th. Obviously, the goal of the public health experiment was to measure the risk of reopening club venues and festivals in regards to COVID-19. The event took place at the Ziggo Dome and came to life weeks after the Dutch government announced that festivals should come back in July.
For four hours, the 1,300 attendees danced to the sound of Sam Feldt, Lady Bee, and Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano. The participants had to present a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours before the show. In addition to that, the fans were divided into five groups of 250 people and one with only 50. Each of these groups had specific restrictions and/or mandates. For example, one of the groups had to sing and scream as loud as they could. The goal was to analyze how much saliva was released at that moment. Those in this group received fluorescent drinks to help examine the reach of the said saliva.
On the other hand, some of the attendees had to wear a mask at all times and some had restrictions in their movement. Furthermore, organizers traced all movements and contacts.
The gathering held on March 6th was part of a series of experiments led by FieldLab Events. The Dutch government set up the initiative in order to see if large groups can come together safely. It is too early to say what role those events will play in the return to a normal life. However, it sure will help the music industry to prepare themselves better when the moment comes. On this topic, one of FieldLab executives, Tim Boersma said:
“We hope this can lead to a tailor-made reopening of venues. Measures are now generic, allowing for instance a maximum of 100 guests at any event if coronavirus infections drop to a certain level. We hope for more specific measures, such as allowing the Ziggo Dome to open at half its capacity.”
DutchNews.nl reported that more than 100,000 people applied for tickets to participate in the study.
