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The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Rotterdam in May may still be attended by spectators despite persistently high infection figures.
The Dutch government gave the final green light, as the organizers of the contest announced in Rotterdam on Friday. Public rehearsals, semifinals and the final will each be allowed 3,500 spectators.
The government made the mega-event an experiment in the “Fieldlab” research series. Under scientific supervision, it is investigated whether events with an audience are also possible in Corona times.
Protective measures will be taken
The government had previously given conditional approval, but made the final decision dependent on the current development of the spread of the virus. If there were more than 900 patients in intensive care units, no consent would have been given. On Thursday, there were 813. The so-called seven-day incidence of new infections per 100,000 population was about 317 nationwide on Thursday, according to the Dutch government.
Organizers reacted with relief, but stressed that all protective measures would be taken: “Safety for visitors, artists and delegations comes first.” Spectators must present a negative test no more than 24 hours old. They must also be retested a few days after attending a show.
The ESC semifinals will be held on May 18 and 20. The grand final is on May 22. Only those who already had a ticket for last year’s shows will get a ticket. In 2020, however, the competition was canceled for the first time in its history because of the Corona pandemic.
Austria will be represented at this year’s ESC by Vincent Bueno with the song “Amen”. The musician has to prove himself in the second semi-final on May 20 and get a ticket for the grand final. A total of 39 countries are taking part in this year’s Song Contest.
- source: k.at/picture: screenshot – eurovision.tv
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