Following the results of a new study, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, has announced that performers no longer need to practice extra social distancing when on stage. He confirmed that ‘The performing arts guidance has now changed and is effective immediately’, describing this as an ‘important step in getting performances back on’.
The study, called Perform, was backed by the government and Public Health England, and tested the theory that singing produces more potentially-contaminated aerosols (particles exhaled from the body which float in the air) and droplets than normal speech. Researchers from Imperial College London, Royal Brompton Hospital, and the University of Bristol measured the amount of aerosols produced by 25 professional performers while singing at different volumes and pitches in a controlled environment. While the study has yet to be peer reviewed, it concluded that singing does not generate ‘substantially more respiratory particles than speaking at a similar volume’.
The performing arts guidance has now changed and is effective immediately
Good news for music venues, musicians, theatres & opera
We’ll keep working to get the arts going because we are #HereForCulture@ace_national @UK_Music @musicvenuetrust @glyndebourne
— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) August 20, 2020
However, it was also found that the volume at which performers sang or spoke did impact aerosol production; those singing or shouting at the highest volume generating 30 times more aerosol than those singing or speaking at a medium volume. The researchers noted that venue size and ventilation also influences aerosol buildup. Jonathan Reid, one of the study’s authors, said his team’s research ‘has provided a rigorous scientific basis for Covid-19 recommendations for arts venues to operate safely, for both the performers and audience, by ensuring that spaces are appropriately ventilated to reduce the risk of airborne transmission’.
Oliver Dowden expressed his appreciation for the study and its implications for the future of live music, saying ‘I know singing is an important passion and pastime for many people, who I’m sure will join me in welcoming the findings of this important study… we have now updated our guidance in light of these findings so people can get back to performing together safely’. Performers no longer have to stay three metres apart on stage, and can now come within one metre of each other. Audiences, however, will still have to observe regular social distancing, and indoor venues will have to be appropriately ventilated.
While many musicians and venue owners were excited by this research, some scientists have raised their concerns. Dr. Julien Tang, a respiratory sciences professor at the University of Leicester, described the study as ‘Nice… but not exactly representative’. He explained that ‘The risk is amplified when a group of singers are singing together, [for example] singing to an audience, whether in churches or concert halls or theatres’, adding that this type of dynamic ‘needs further study to assess the risk of such large volume synchronised singing vocalisations’. Tang emphasises that the Perform study should not be applied to all performance situations or used to downplay the risks they entail: ‘we don’t want choir members getting infected and potentially dying from Covid-19 whilst doing what they love’.
Live music performances have largely remained on hold in the interest of public health, but the industry has consequently suffered significant damage during the pandemic. The government recently injected £1.57 billion to help venues, theatres, galleries, museums, cinemas, and heritage sites survive the months to come, but with the revised safety guidelines and further research to support the Perform study’s findings, live music may make its full comeback in the near future.
