Berlinale Festival Reports 54 Positive COVID Cases at Mid-Point
is requiring guests to take a daily test, even if they’re vaccinated three times, in order to access screenings, as well as select events and venues. Testing stations can be found in buses around the festival’s main theater and inside hotels with results back in roughly 20 minutes. “The Berlinale’s test buses, available for both accredited and audience, did approximately 2,700 tests and had only 54 positive tests,” said the festival’s spokesperson.
“In order to stop possible chains of infections, we are evaluating every case and situation thoroughly, tracking all contacts and identifying possible risk situations. We are still in pandemic times and obviously positive tests are still a reality in our daily lives. It is good to hear that the figures of positive tests are really low. With 2% of positive tests the figures are less than the average percentage of positive tests around Berlin.
Besides the daily testing and mandatory masks indoors, other COVID measures put in place at the Berlinale include the reduction of seating capacity inside theaters by half. Although the European Film Market is being held online, a number of industry folks made the trek to the festival to take meetings and attend screenings.