Methodology developed for field observations of large events during the pandemic

The Events Research Programme (ERP) was a multi-disciplinary study undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks and mitigations around the reopening of mass events in the UK in 2021 – including a behavioural study, exploring how non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as social distancing, pre-event virus testing, and the use of face coverings might enable people to attend events safely. This behavioural study is discussed here.A total of 21 pilot events were involved in the study between April and July 2021. The venues used for the pilots varied in size, layout, occupancy level, and crowd management approaches. Data was extracted from manual qualitative observations and venue CCTV cameras which recorded routinely at venues. In addition, 890 cameras were installed during the events to capture attendee movement outside the venues, during arrival, in event areas, circulation spaces, bars and restaurants, and on exiting. A mixed method approach was adopted to ensure locations and activities of interest were captured, quantitative data gathered, and that this data could be placed in context. This enabled a behavioural study, quantifying crowd performance behaviours for comparison between and within events. This paper describes the background to this work, the method adopted and provides a brief overview of the data collected, relating primarily to (i) crowd densities, (ii) social distancing (captured here as contact distancing), and (iii) the use of face coverings.