Concert attendees crowded around the main stage in Santa Barbara listening to Khruangbin.
By Mary McFadden & Gabriel Gomez, Staff Reporters
While the County of Los Angeles is seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases in recent days, the upcoming increase in concerts and sporting events has many residents questioning whether this will cause cases to increase once again. Concerts like that of Los Angeles natives the Red Hot Chili Peppers who are performing at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood this coming July which are anticipated to hold about 70,240 people. Even as these concerts are being held late in the summer, concerts like The Rolling Stones and BTS have already sold out at full capacity. The capacity will be expandable up to 100,240 for the Super Bowl.
Although a statewide mask mandate is still being heavily implemented, big sporting events and large outdoor concert promoters have protocols put in place to minimize transmission of COVID-19. The CDC further advises that attendees observe 6 feet social distance, and to stand 6 feet from people who do not live with them. Posted signage for highly visible locations to aid in reducing the spread of covid, such as hand washing stations, how to properly wear a mask, and maintain 6 feet social distance.
With such large events being held in California as recent as the NFC Championship at SoFi Stadium and the upcoming Super Bowl in Los Angeles, the risk in contracting the virus can be higher.
According to a study conducted by the Journal of Travel Medicine, large sporting events and music festivals are huge contributors to the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, universities and colleges are returning to in person classes, there still remains the concern that campuses are breeding grounds for COVID. According to a data-driven model study found in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering Journal, “the first two weeks of instruction present a high-risk period for campus outbreaks and that these outbreaks tend to spread into neighboring communities.”
But there is a new entity that is destroying the efforts of the concert protocols many venues are putting in place; fake vaccine cards. These fake documents can land an individual in jail for up to 5 years for falsifying documents that have a federal agency’s seal. However, that is not stopping people from getting their hands on them.
However, not all is lost. For new concert goers who are nervous about attending a concert or public event, California is taking all the precautions necessary to ensure public safety for those in attendance. The state implemented these new COVID-19 guidelines for mega-events on Jan. 7, 2022. Masks are required for all individuals in the following indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status. Although safety protocols are in place, they are not one hundred percent infallible, since this is subjective to attendee compliance with said rules.
Closer to CSUDH campus, the Dignity Health Sports Park has been enforcing these mandated health requirements since October 2021. Events on the calendar for the month of February will start with preseason games for the LA Galaxy. When asked about the increase of omicron cases, and if the sports park changed it’s covid protocols for attending events, Logan from Dignity Health Sports Park box office said, “We are operating how we did last year, still requiring the negative COVID-19 test result, or the vaccine card, either one is acceptable. We are also offering free testing on event days on lot 10, and masks are still required unless eating and drinking.”
While COVID-19 mandates are in full compliance, another concern is maximizing the amount of people in an arena. Logan further emphasized that “Dignity Health sports park is still operating to get as many people as we can in, no every other row seating.”For further information regarding Dignity Health Sports Park and the health guidelines visit Event Policies | Dignity Health Sports Park.
