There’s still no telling when concerts, events, and public gatherings will be allowed to resume in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. But an industry report now predicts that should events return, they certainly won’t look anything like the way they did before.
According to a new report by the Event Safety Alliance (ESA), attendees at potential concerts and events in the future may still have to continue on with social distancing guidelines that mandate a six-foot separation between people. This means no rail-riding, crowd-surfing, mosh pits, grinding, cheeky back rubs, human pyramids, or any other type of physical interaction one might expect to experience at a music show.
Furthermore, attendees could be subject to being cordoned in their own “space” via gaff tape on the ground, cones, or even roped stanchions. All of these practices would be enforced at events by “infection mitigation coordinators”—not your average event staff or bouncers.
Additional measures could include standard mask-wearing, increased sanitation measures, physical and digital signage, decreased venue capacity, staggered entry, and more. Needless to say, this could potentially alter the meaning of live entertainment in the near future for concert-goers, venues, artists, and virtually everyone involved.
While these guidelines are in no way set in stone yet, important conversations are taking place regarding these new measures, and the impact will certainly be unprecedented. For now, stay at home mandates and abiding by CDC recommendations are the most surefire way to limit the spread of COVID-19, and potentially take some small steps on the path back to normalcy.
