SITGES – In the coastal town of Sitges, a large clinical trial, also known as Fieldlab, has been conducted on the nightlife. On 20th May, more than 400 people enjoyed a ‘normal’ evening of drinking and dancing.
As it was a trial, the participants underwent an antigen test beforehand. The result had to be negative in order to be able to enter bars or nightclubs in Sitges (Barcelona). The 400 subjects crowded the catering establishments en masse in the most famous street of the coastal town, Calle del Pecat (Pecado in Catalan).
Sitges City Council and Fecalon Employers’ Association approved the Fieldlab test. The regional Ministry of Health of the Catalan government will announce the final epidemiological results on 10th June.
Repeat tests are underway and contacts traced. The preliminary assessment of the outcome of the clinical trial is “positive,” said Fecalon Chairman Fernando Martínez. He said, “This judgment is based on the information we have from the trial to date and is still subject to the results of the screening that the Department of Health will conduct”. Martínez also stressed the Sitges trial is a groundbreaking test. It should lead to an immediate reopening of Catalan nightlife. A previous trial involved a concert.
Nightlife sector seriously affected by pandemic
The nightlife sector is one of the most severely affected by the corona pandemic. So far, nightclubs and discos have not yet been able to reopen. The latest predictions point to reopening on San Juan (23rd June).
The initiators of the trial expect if the results remain positive, The Generalitat will agree a protocol to revitalise the nightlife earlier than San Juan. Many entrepreneurs in Sitges and other places where nightlife plays a dominant role anxiously await the final results.
