There are many COVID-19 safety protocols that diminish the risk of gathering. Viewing pods, masks, and social distancing, for instance, are new essential features to any event. The trouble with these measures, however, is that compliance is a difficult variable to predict – organizers must be prepared for attendees who don’t follow the rules. The most effective way of stopping the spread of the virus at events is to prevent contagious people from attending in the first place.

We are hopeful that with the new vaccines on the market, we can soon get back to doing what we love without the fear of illness. While there is much hope, things will be slow going. The vaccine is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and there are many variables that must be addressed as events begin to roll out. For folks who don’t have access to the vaccine, or decide not to take it, testing is an alternative prerequisite to gathering.

We have seen coronavirus testing protocols put into effect in other industries that bring people together. International airlines, for instance, are now requiring a negative test before permitting passengers onboard any flight entering the United States. It is also widely known that industry leader Ticketmaster is developing a system to link event attendees’ electronic tickets to their vaccine status, negative test results, or any other info that event organizers determine to grant access.

While pre-event testing greatly diminishes the risk of transmitting or catching the virus at an event, each attendee is still taking a calculated risk until vaccination is widespread. The past year has shown us the insidious nature of coronavirus. For instance, you may contract the virus but test negative if your sample was collected too early during the incubation period and still be contagious, unknowingly spreading the virus at the event in question. Not to mention the risk of coming in contact with the virus on your way to the show or attending under the pretense of a false-negative test result.