Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

No big COVID-19 outbreaks detected during pilot project of sporting, concert events

Thousands of people, masked and tested for the virus, arrive to pack inside a Paris concert hall as part of a public health experiment to prepare the country to host big events again, in Paris, Saturday, May 29, 2021.  (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Thousands of people, masked and tested for the virus, arrive to pack inside a Paris concert hall as part of a public health experiment to prepare the country to host big events again, in Paris, Saturday, May 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Share
LONDON -

A British trial of how risky cultural and sporting events are for transmission of the coronavirus found no substantial outbreaks of COVID-19 although the findings were based on a low number of test completions, government researchers said.

Britain has conducted a pilot scheme to test audiences at live events from soccer matches to raves and concerts, some of them indoors, to see if they can be held with full crowds.

The researchers said in a report published on Friday that "no substantial outbreaks were identified by public health teams and their surveillance systems around any of the events."

Across all the events, which were attended by more than 50,000 people, only 15% of participants returned the two tests they were asked to do - before and after the event - and of them 28 positive cases were found.

Eleven of those cases were considered to have potentially been infected before the event they attended while the remaining 17 could have been infected at the event or afterwards, the researchers said.

They said the low proportion of people returning both tests meant the results should be interpreted with "extreme caution."

On Thursday, concert managers and theater producers joined forces to call on the government to explain why it was keeping restrictions on audiences in place as part of a delay to the lifting of the last social-distancing rules.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this week pushed back the so-called Step 4 of removing coronavirus restrictions until July 19 from June 21 because of the spread of the more infectious Delta variant.

(Reporting by William Schomberg. Editing by Andrew MacAskill)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected