The results are in, and Spain's concert-sized COVID-19 experiment was a success.
The experiment took place on March 27 when around 5,000 people attended a concert in Barcelona for the popular band Love of Lesbian. But there was a catch.
Attendees had to pass a same day COVID-19 test before entering the venue. Once inside, they did not have to social distance, but they had to wear FPP2 surgical masks and there was a limit on the number of people who could use the bathrooms to prevent crowding.
The purpose of the event was to see if same-day tests could be used to safely hold concerts in the future, reviving Europe's struggling music industry.
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Now, a month later, the organizers have come back with the results of the experiment: Out of 4,592 music lovers who went to the event, only six people tested positive for COVID-19 in a 14-day window after the concert.
And according to one of the group that backed the study, Fight AIDS and Infectious Diseases Foundation in Barcelona, that rate is "lower than that of the population of the city of Barcelona in the same age group and same date."
At the time of the concert, COVID-19 restrictions only allowed up to four people to meet in an enclosed space. The organizers of the study had to get special permission to host the concert. /AP/ Emilio Morenatti
Josep Maria Llibre, a specialist in infectious diseases from the Germans Trias i Pujol hospital who aided in the study, also said that the organizers are 'certain' that four of those people did not contract COVID-19 while attending the concert.
"With optimized ventilation, antigen tests and the wearing of face masks, we can guarantee a safe space," he added.
And Boris Revollo, a virologist who was also involved in the study, added that while there was no way to prove that the other people did not contract the virus while attending the concert, they believe that it's a "very high probability" that they did not.
Similar studies have been conducted in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and the Netherlands, in order to find the safest way for people to attend large events again.
And in the UK, the government is sponsoring up to 15 pilot studies to determine how large events can be hosted safely.
This is particularly important for Europe's music industry, which reportedly lost 76 percent of its earnings since the pandemic began, according to a study by Spain's Music Federation.
Video editor: Natália Luz.