As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in 2020, musicians around the world were desperate for the answers to two pressing questions: Can playing musical instruments transmit COVID-19? And if so, what can be done?
Now, halfway through 2021, the first official research results are in - and it is good news: The show can go on. Published in the journal of ACS Environmental Au, University of Colorado Boulder and University of Maryland researchers have found that while playing musical instruments can emit the same levels of potentially COVID-laden airborne particles as singing, simple safety measures, such as making instruments, social distancing and implementing time limits, significantly reduce this risk.
According to Tehya Stockman, COVID aerosol transmission from respiratory diseases increase the risk to contract, and fortunately; the way to mitigate these aerosols in a space are found which reduce the risk.
This research began in earnest in 2020 at CU Boulder and the University of Maryland to find out if playing musical instruments carried the same risks of COVID-19 transmission as singing is shown to have. While there have been no reported outbreaks from instrumental ensembles, these published findings echo the researchers' initial hypotheses and recommendations that were eagerly accepted early on in the pandemic by musicians and performing groups worldwide.
These findings not only apply to the specific musical applications in which they have been tested, they also further validate that masking works as an effective mitigation technique, and ventilation and social distancing are important to reduce transmission, said Shelly Miller. Miller said she hopes these findings will further inspire a paradigm shift focused on mitigation measures and ventilation in order to reduce airborne transmission of infectious diseases.
Mitigation matters
The researchers tested three mitigation strategies on a variety of woodwind, reed and brass instruments, as well as with two singers and an actor. They evaluated these strategies, different lengths or performance time and the differences between indoor and outdoor locations by measuring aerosols, carbon dioxide levels and visualizing the flow of the air using various modelling techniques.
First, they found that masks work - even on instruments - and the quality of the filtering material and their fit are important. Masks worn securely over a singer's mount and nose, as well as bell covers (made of MERV13 filter material) placed over the ends of instruments significantly decreased the speed and amount of particles produced from both sources.
For woodwind and reed instruments, they found that the amount of air that escapes from the keyholes does not significantly contribute to any increased risk. This means that clarinetists and flautists do not have to place a bag around a bag around their entire instrument to play safely.
Second, time together matters. To keep risk low (at 10% chance of transmission), instrumentalists should spend less than 30 minutes indoors and less than 60 minutes outdoors playing together at a time. No matter the amount of social distancing, "infection risk continuously increases with the duration regardless of the distance to the singer or player".
They also found that spacing out does pay off: Leaving several feet of distance between players and singers reduces aerosol concentrations, which are highest closest to each person producing them. And while playing outdoors is best, a layered approach with all the other mitigation measures makes it much safer to play indoors.
Finally, no Plexiglass or face shields are needed. The airborne particles that transmit COVID-19 can easily flow around these barriers and mix with the air in a room.
