Was Sundance filmfest first site of early COVID-19 outbreak?

Leading US movie magazine has speculated 2020 Sundance film festival being a potental site for first coronavirus transmissions in the country.

There are speculations that the 2020 Sundance Film Festival was the first place from where coronavirus outbreak started in the US, The Hollyywod Reporter reports.

According to the magazine, many attendees had coronavirus-like symptoms after the festival closed in late January. But none of them were tested for COVID-19 infection.

The latest edition of the festival hosted 120,000 attendees and was held in a small mountain resort. The parties were held in closed places. Park City where the festival was held has cold weather and one of the hobbies in this place includes skiing.

There are several famous names in the film industry that had severe symptoms and had to leave the festival early.

Festival’s spokesperson considering the speculations said, “We’re sorry to hear that any of our festival attendees were unwell either during or after our January edition. We are not aware of any confirmed festival-connected cases of Covid-19.”

Referring to the fact that the Sundance festival and the Wuhan lockdown started on the same day, the US magazine quoted a microbiologist, Dan Hart, as “Logic dictates that [sick attendees] most probably did have it. With Sundance, you’ve got the perfect formula for this virus to really go to town and contaminate everybody.”

Many of the festival-goers defended the article and wrote about their experiences with the coronavirus-like symptoms.

PR/AG