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Mar 28, 2021 - World

In photos: 5,000 pack into Spain arena for concert after COVID screen

Rebecca Falconer
Spectators attend a rock music concert by Spanish group Love of Lesbian at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on March 27

Spectators attend a rock music concert by Spanish group Love of Lesbian at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, with face masks required but no social distancing needed. Photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images

5,000 masked music fans packed into the Palau Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday for a rock concert with no social distancing, as part of a study into the effectiveness of same-day COVID screenings.

Why it matters: Organizers say Spanish rock group Love of Lesbian's concert is the "first commercial event of this size held in Europe during the pandemic," AP notes. The event is an exception to Spain's four-person limits on gatherings in enclosed spaces, per Euronews.

A health worker collects a swab sample for Rapid Antigen Test for COVID-19 from a woman ahead of the concert.
Health workers collect swab samples for Rapid Antigen Test for COVID-19 ahead of the concert. "People with heart disease, cancer, or those who have been in contact with someone infected by COVID-19 in recent weeks were asked not to sign up," AP reports. Photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images
A spectator takes a picture before the start of a rock music concert by Spanish group Love of Lesbian at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on March 27
The scene before the concert's start. A smaller study was held in Barcelona last December, with 500 people attending the concert. Preliminary results indicate the combination of wearing masks and pre-screening with antigen tests works in preventing the virus spread despite the absence of distancing rules, per Euronews. Photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images
Spectators wait for the start of a rock music concert by Spanish group Love of Lesbian at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on March 27
Spectators soak in the atmosphere. "After two months of a downward trend," from the third wave of the pandemic, case numbers have risen again this past week, El País reports. Photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images
Santi Balmes of Love of Lesbian addresses the audience during the Love of Lesbian's concert at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday.
Santi Balmes of Love of Lesbian addresses the audience during the concert. Photo: Xavi Torrent/Getty Images
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