Covid Outbreaks Tied to Music Festivals Raise Outdoor Transmission Concerns

[MisterNiceKitty]

Note that in NYC the Mayor has "homecoming" music festivals scheduled for August 16-21

“These events are the warning shot across the bow,” says Dr. Emily Landon, executive medical director for infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She also points to the numerous cases reportedly tied to July’s Verknipt Festival in the Netherlands, which was also held outdoors. “I think we’re finding it does matter what you do outdoors,” Landon adds. “And even though people are vaccinated, it looks like we may need to be more careful with super-crowded events.”

[Ocelot II]

1. If you're packed into an event close to other people for an extended period of time,

it stands to reason that viruses won't be dissipated just because you're outside; you'll be breathing them in from the people next to you before they (the viruses, not the people) can float away. Seems pretty obvious.

[FreepFryer]

2. Yup. "Indoors" is a very recent concept on a viral evolutionary timescale :) (nt)

[empedocles]

3. An update on my post of a week+, to a local lawfirm barbecue outdoors.

They were all vacdinated, not closely packed in.

26 people attended. 3 days later 2 had symptoms.

Testing revealed 21 of the 26 tested positive.

So far, 12 of the 26 have shown symptoms.

1 hospitalization. However, he was compromised, underlying cardiac issues.

[Still makes me more careful].

[duforsure]

4. With Delta it's a much greater threat,

Spreading worst that other variants out there, even outdoors. I've seen reports where people more than 6 feet apart got the virus.

[sanatanadharma]

5. Dust from Mongolian windstorms reaches the west coast

Smoke from the west coast reaches the east coast.
It is no big deal for virus to float on the breeze from one side of the festival to another.
Viral load suggests having and sharing; however, how small a load can still infect?

[NickB79]

6. 700,000 at Sturgis this week

Good times coming in a few weeks.

[tanyev]

7. Even if the concert is outdoors, what are the bathroom facilities?

People going in and out of a nearby structure or port-a-potties provides a rich transmission environment for the Delta variant.

[wiggs]

13. Correct. Don't know why bathrooms and portapotties aren't mentioned more often. nt

[Klaralven]

8. They would be OK if the crowds kept absolutely silent

No talking, yelling, cheering, shouting, etc. all of which spew clouds of saliva and snot droplets laden with viral particles.

[MisterNiceKitty]

10. Actually there's piece in Curbed

New York’s Central Park Concert Isn’t Ready for the Delta Variant (Caroline Spivak)

"Over the weekend, Lollapalooza made its sweaty, crowded, and almost completely unmasked return to Chicago’s Grant Park. With over 100,000 people attending each of the four days — proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test in hand — the scene looked like a pre-pandemic flashback, complete with mosh pits, crowd surfing, and other decidedly non–socially distanced activities. Even a couple of weeks ago, this might not have been alarming, but we’re in the Delta variant’s firm grip now."

For the Homecoming event:

"Even with the lax vaccine requirement, the question of whether or not to attend depends on density for Ompad: If it’s expected to be packed, she would avoid it. “Even if it was the entire Wu-Tang and they brought Ol’ Dirty Bastard back from the dead, I would not go to a full capacity concert in August if Delta is still circulating at the level that it’s circulating at right now,” she said. Mosh pits are also a nonstarter. “There’s all sorts of fluids flying everywhere. People are sweaty. They’re yelling. If one of my friends told me they were in the midst of a mosh pit, I would say, ‘I’ll talk to you in two weeks after you’ve been tested,’” she said. With both LL Cool J and Andrea Bocelli on the bill, it’s hard to say exactly what the crowd will be like — though it seems safe to say that mosh pits probably won’t be a factor.

While Mayor de Blasio is now encouraging New Yorkers to wear masks inside again, the city has not released new requirements for the concert or other major outdoor events. “I would tell people to think about how crowded it is going to be, how much they’re going to be able to space out from people who are not in their social network or in their household, and whether or not they think they can wear a mask for the whole time,” says Ompad. But really, she admits, “I would just think twice about going to a concert like that right now.”

https://www.curbed.com/2021/08/nyc-central-park-concert-delta-variant.html

[helpisontheway]

9. Right..we took our son to an amusement park

in May when masks were still required. We were a bit uneasy but did everything we could to remain safe. My son wants to go to another amusement park before he leaves for University in two weeks. We planned to do it prior to Delta. However, we feel uneasy with Delta plus no masks required in the park. We are going to try to figure out another safe trip that does not require us to be around a lot of other people.

[littlemissmartypants]

11. The NSW study stated that the Delta variant is passed

Through "fleeting contact" and has 1000 times the viral load of the original variant. Fleeting contact, let's let that sink in.

[MisterNiceKitty]

12. I see what you mean

This was published in Forbes back in June. So nobody can say there hasn't been significant advanced warning.

"The increased transmissibility of the Delta variant is a dire concern. In Sydney, Australia, several people were infected in “fleeting” non-physical contact in a cafe and a shopping mall. CCTV footage revealed two people walking past each other while at a mall transmitting the virus. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney that "We also need to recognize that this Delta variant... is actually a gold medallist when it comes to jumping from one person to another,". As the cluster of cases grew to 110, Sydney has entered a two week lockdown to curb further spread of the highly infectious variant amongst a largely unvaccinated population. The city of Darwin has also entered a separate two-day lockdown after a handful of cases were linked to a Delta variant outbreak on a remote mine."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/06/28/infection-through-fleeting-contact-with-the-delta-variant-leads-to-lockdowns-across-australia/

[wiggs]

14. Link for OP quote? Would like to send to others. nt

[MisterNiceKitty]

15. Sure

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pendleton-whisky-music-faster-horses-covid-outbreaks-outdoor-transmission-1208842/

just a tip: highlight a phrase in a quote and search on that (right-click) to bring up a result

[Initech]

16. Both festivals quoted in the article were country festivals.

So yeah of course put a bunch of rabid MAGAs and anti-vaxxers in a room or outdoor space and that's exactly what will happen!

I would be inclined to think people at a rock festival or concert would have a higher percentage of vaccinated people there.