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Researchers in Germany staged a tightly controlled concert on Saturday to see whether there's a way to bring them back safely, even in a pandemic, per the AP.
The intrigue: Roughly 1,500 people filed into an arena in Leipzig — all after testing negative for coronavirus infections and while wearing masks — for the simulation.
- Participants wore bracelets that tracked their movements throughout the arena — which even featured a real pop act, to get the most real-life crowd response possible — so that researchers could track the aerosols they emitted and the surfaces they touched.
- Researchers tested three scenarios, all designed to mimic the beginning of a pandemic, with three levels of social distancing.
- Results are expected within four to six weeks.
My thought bubble: Germany has recorded roughly 9,300 deaths and is averaging under 2,000 new cases per day. The U.S. is at roughly 170,000 deaths and just under 50,000 daily cases.
- The fastest way to safely get back to doing fun things in the presence of other people is to get the virus under control.