The Tefaf Art Fair is under Attack

 Image courtesy to Christie's 

The Tefaf art fair is under attack because there would have been far more coronavirus infections than was announced. According to the art magazine "The Art Newspaper", earlier this month between 23 and 35 people at the Maastricht fair were infected with the virus. The GGD Zuid-Limburg cannot confirm these Figures.


Two infections detected

"Two cases of corona can be traced back to the Tefaf," said GGD spokesperson Guido Corten. The two infections involved someone from the South Limburg region and a woman from Taiwan. Both were in contact with an infected Italian art dealer. It is not known how seriously they got sick.

 Image courtesy to Christie's 

Contact inquiry

In order to be able to determine with certainty that people on the Tefaf have become infected, contact research had to take place, says the GGD. This also happened for the two converted cases. For the infected person from South Limburg, the GGD carried out that contact investigation. And in the case of the woman from Taiwan, the Taiwanese health service has been in contact with the GGD, so that the art fair could be identified as a place of contamination. However, there was no contact with the GGD about any other infected persons. In theory, it is therefore possible that they have also been in China or Italy before they got sick, according to the GGD spokesperson.

Tip of the iceberg

Amsterdam art dealer Boedy Lilian suspects that many more people have become infected than 25. “I suspect that at least half of the dealers on the Tefaf have become infected. I know that because we have an app group of international traders in ancient art. I know who all got sick. ” Some traders are even so sick, according to Lilian, that they have been admitted to intensive care.In total, 300 traders exhibited their art at the fair this year.

Irresponsible

Lilian finds it irresponsible that the Tefaf opened up, just at the time when the coronavirus started to spread explosively in Europe. “We had a meeting on 9 March with the organization, the traders and doctors of RIVM. There it was emphasized how few infections there were in Maastricht at the time. But by opening the Tefaf they have just brought in the disease. ” Lilian says to be sure that more traders were infected with corona before they traveled to Maastricht. Traders from Italy, but also traders who had been on winter sports in Italy beforehand. "But I cannot prove that. You are not tested that quickly in the Netherlands. ”

Closed earlier

On March 5, a day after the first corona infection was discovered in Limburg - the Tefaf opening was for invitees. On March 7, the fair opened its doors to the general public from home and abroad. When it became known halfway through the fair that one of the exhibitors was found to be infected upon return to Italy, the Tefaf closed. Four days ahead of schedule.