This archive report was first published on 22 August 2020.
On August 15, the UK government updated its guidance on singing during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing professionals and non-professionals to engage in singing provided they follow hygiene and social distancing guidelines.
This decision was informed by a study conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol, who found that loud singing and speaking can generate up to 30 times more aerosol mass than their quieter counterparts.
The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, involved 25 professional performers who sang and spoke at different sound levels in a hospital operating theatre. The researchers used a 'zero aerosol' background to measure the aerosol particles generated by the performers.
Dr. Florence Gregson, a researcher at the University of Bristol, said that the study provided a rigorous scientific basis for COVID-19 recommendations for arts venues to operate safely. The researchers found that ensuring adequate ventilation in the venue may be more important than restricting a specific activity.
Jonathan Reid, an expert in aerosol science at the University of Bristol, said that the study showed that the transmission of viruses in small aerosol particles generated when someone sings or speaks are equally possible with both activities generating similar numbers of particles.
However, Dr. Julian Tang, an honorary associate professor in respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester, noted that the risk of transmission is amplified when a group of singers are singing together, and that further study is needed to truly assess the risk of such large volume synchronised singing vocalisations/exhalations.
