Image by Jody Hartley
A recent survey conducted by The Music Venue Trust has found that the number of people attending gigs at live music venues who are double-vaccinated are higher than the general public. The survey was carried out during the first month since “Freedom Day” and the official reopening of music venues across the UK in July. According to its finding, The Music Venue Trust reports that 76.3% of people who were actively attending gigs were double vaccinated while 91.3% have chosen to take extra precautions such as testing, double vaccinating, mask wearing or a combination of these factors. This is in contrast to the 61.3% of the double vaccinated general public in the UK.
Many of those interviewed for the survey said they would like to see venues enforce a mix of options as conditions for entry, including certificates of immunity, double vaccination or negative test results.
The extra care being taken by music fans is having a major impact, defying initial predictions that the reopening of grassroots music venues would lead to exponential increases in transmission rates. 100 grassroots venues were selected by The Music Venue Trust to be surveyed on the basis of their case and transmission rates within their locality, to investigate the impact that the full reopening of the sector would have on local case rates. For these venues, case rates actually declined by 39%.
In a statement to Music Week, Mark Davyd, CEO of The Music Venue Trust said, “The response from venues, artists and audiences to the COVID threat has been incredible. These survey results clearly demonstrate a will by the live music community to create safe spaces, to take personal responsibility for ourselves and each other, and to act to Reopen Every Venue Safely”
