France loosens its restrictions on nightclubs

A campaign from the French live music association – Prodiss, has successfully campaigned for nightclubs and indoor venues to reopen at full capacity.

Before this, there had been a 75% capacity restriction on nightclubs and indoor venues, plus a limit on the number of people who could stand at venues.

In May of this year, a test concert called Ambition Live Again was put together by Prodiss in partnership with the AP-HP hospital in Paris. 

The test event took place at the Accor Arena, with 20,000 people in attendance.

On the Prodiss website it said: 

“The event was to assess the risks of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, during a large-scale concert in a standing configuration, not distanced, in a closed venue”.

The website also goes on to say:

“The purpose of this study is to evaluate a specific health protocol for resuming concerts and festivals in a standing configuration, without being able to respect physical distancing”.

The event was seen as a success and resulted in the easing of restrictions. Although the restrictions have been eased, face masks are still recommended for indoor venues, and evidence of vaccination or a negative test is still required to attend shows.

You can find out more about the Ambition Live Again pilot event here.