You May Need to Walk Through a Disinfectant Spray At Future Concerts

It seems like every day we get some sort of new update on how concerts are going to take place in the future following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The latest word from the Mirror is that fans may have to go through a "disinfectant mist" when entering venues.

The report states that concerts may recur as soon as this fall, but they're going to be a pretty different experience than music fans are used to. In addition to disinfectant mists, temperatures will be taken, and attendees may need to wear masks and other PPE as well in order to limit the potential spread of the virus.

One of the standards for social distancing is for people to stand six feet apart from each other, and if this were the case at concerts, venues would only be able to operate at a 27 percent capacity. Chief executive Craig Hassall at the Royal Albert Hall in London told the Mirror that even if establishments were to cut that rule in half — thus standing three feet apart from others — they would only be able to increase their capacity to 36 percent. Venues typically need about 90 percent capacity to break even.

"The test case in Seoul – where a Phantom of the Opera production has continued running – has seen audience members walking through a light mist of disinfectant, having their temperature taken, and filling in a questionnaire about their symptoms and recent places they’ve visited," Hassall elaborated.

"If we’re to find a solution, it is going to be a combination of numerous measures, from increased access points to hand sanitizers, Perspex screens and PPE for staff."

"We do believe that 2021 could be busy across all the arenas because many tours are being postponed, but this doesn’t help our situation now where there is absolutely no income to our venues," added Lucy Noble of the National Arena Association. "We are at serious risk."

As of now, the live industry's latest way to combat the virus is drive-in concerts, but we'll see how these other new limitations play out in the future.