“I was happy not to wear a mask” … The competition serves as a test at the time of Covid-19

From our special correspondent in Rotterdam (Netherlands)

“I was pretty happy not to wear a mask! It is not mandatory indoors, except when moving. It is true that it was a little weird. There was also no physical distancing. I thought they would leave some space between people, but no… ”Andreas took full advantage of the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday night.

This fan of the competition, who has never missed an edition since 2015, was delighted to find this “crazy atmosphere” which transports him every time. However, he did not enter the Ahoy Rotterdam, where the event takes place, like in a Dutch mill. If he had already bought his ticket, he could only have access to it, through an application, after having passed an antigen test proving that he did not have Covid-19. He also had to respect a time slot for his arrival and could not choose his seat. He will also have to take another test in five days.

The room was transformed into a makeshift hospital a year ago

For Thursday’s semi-final and Saturday’s final, rebelote. If all goes well for him, Andreas will be one of the 3,500 lucky holders of a ticket for what serves as a life-size test. The Dutch government speaks of a “field laboratory” intended to assess the ability to organize an event of such magnitude while avoiding as much as possible the risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. Ironically, this same concert hall which hosts the great musical raout this week, had been transformed, a year ago, into a makeshift hospital to unclog the city’s hospitals.

If we only look at the public who flock each evening, decked out in flags or dressed in colorful outfits, to attend rehearsals or live shows, this Eurovision looks like those in the world before the pandemic. Especially since in the Netherlands, wearing a mask is not compulsory outdoors. But if we go a little further to the right of the enclosure, we come across large prefabs that house the test pavilion, where each accredited – journalists, artists and other members of the delegation – must undergo, all 48 hours, a breath or antigen test, in order to maintain its accreditation. In the Eurovision bubble, one does not take fifty steps without finding a dispenser of hydroalcoholic gel and wearing an FFP2 mask is mandatory at the slightest trip. In the press room, however, once reporters are seated in their assigned seats, they can unmask themselves … Loose up?

Cases of Covid-19 within delegations

On May 13, five days after the start of the first rehearsals, the organization banged its fist on the keyboard by sending an email as a reminder of everyone’s responsibilities: “Several photos and videos posted online show that the rules of distancing physical characteristics were not observed during interviews. In some cases, artists hugged journalists. “

But recalling the health protocol was not enough. This weekend, a member of the Polish delegation and another of the Icelandic delegation tested positive for covid, forcing the artists they accompany to remain confined to their rooms. The organizers have decided to take maximum precautions for the opening night on Sunday by asking the Maltese and Romanian teams, who are staying in the same hotel as the Icelanders, not to make the trip. The other delegations were then asked to reduce their trips to the essentials, that is to say the return trip between their accommodation and the Ahoy Arena.

“We are lucky to be able to perform on stage, on the other hand, we are in a health bubble. We stay at the hotel, we zone in 20 square meters. I am on the 11th floor, I cannot open the window, I have the impression of being a rat in a cage, but it is for a good cause ”, said the Frenchwoman Barbara Pravi duringa live Instagram with 20 minutes Tuesday.

“A historic edition”

This Wednesday, the bad news fell for Icelanders Daði and Gagnamagnið: one of their members tested positive for Covid-19. The group, who refused to perform without one of their own, remain in the race in the competition, but will now defend their chances through one of their last recorded repetitions. They will follow the semi-final on Thursday from a distance to see if they will qualify for the final.

“You can’t really meet other artists. It’s a shame, deplores the Belgian Alex Callier from the Hooverphonic group. I try to see the positive in the negative: we can stay focused on our performance. Holidays are bad for the voice. If there is no curfew in Rotterdam, the traditional Euroclub, a sort of ephemeral nightclub with a 100% Eurovision playlist, has not opened its doors this year. Eurovillage only exists online.

Organizing the competition is usually a godsend to boost tourism in the host city. Rotterdam can still hope that the live shows will serve as a showcase for it, but so far it has only been able to receive a tiny portion of the tens of thousands of fans that would have been expected under normal conditions. As the co-founder of Hooverphonic says: “We are part of a historic edition. We won’t forget this Eurovision… ”