New German Study Shows That Reopening Cultural Venues Is Possible

A new study from Germany shows that the auditoriums of cultural venues are safe from Covid-19 at half capacity, provided they are well ventilated.

The Dortmund concert hall, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Society research institution, investigated the spatial spread of aerosols and CO2 in light of the audience's risk of infection when attending a concert hall or theater. The study, conducted in November 2020, showed that the risk of Covid-19 infection from breathing and conversation among audience members inside the concert hall was extremely low. Raphael von Hoensbroch, director of the Dortmund concert hall, says: "The best support program we can establish right now is to enable artists to return to the stage -- that means reopening concert halls and theaters. Many government support programs simply do not reach those affected."

Extensive tests involving employees and musicians of the Dortmund Philharmonic were conducted in the hall and the foyer of the venue. It was found that the central ventilation system of the hall, combined with masks worn by the audience, significantly reduced aerosol and CO2 contamination. The study notes that these findings could also be applied to other venues, provided they could ensure a comparably effective ventilation system. "The concert hall cannot trigger a super-spreader event with the existing ventilation concept, which would require a complete exchange of air with outside air every 20 minutes," they wrote on the concert hall's website.

Researchers also found that full capacity occupancy during the pandemic is not entirely unimaginable, but the capacities of access routes, including entrances and corridors, must also be taken into account. Therefore, half capacity is still recommended. For seating arrangements, a "checkerboard pattern" is advised, which ensures social distancing and allows audience members to remove their masks once seated.

Isabell Pfeiffer-Poengsen, Minister of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, describes the study as "an important step," but cultural venues in the region must still remain closed. She added: "It is important to create perspectives and plan security for the time that will follow the complete lockdown."

A spokesperson for the concert hall told Classic FM: "As soon as conditions allow, cultural venues should be reopened on the basis of scientific facts and taking local conditions into account."

The new study followed a previous German study conducted in August, which showed that indoor concerts pose a "low to very low" risk of audience members contracting Covid-19, provided everyone follows the recommendations and measures. The experiment, part of a project called Restart-19 led by the University Medical Center in the German city of Halle (Saale), also found that the possibility of transmission is low as long as participants follow recommended hygiene procedures and good ventilation is ensured along with limited audience numbers.

Source: The Ticketing Business