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Behind the Weeknd’s Halftime Show: Nasal Swabs and Backup Plans

When the Weeknd headlines the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, the stage will be in the stands, not on the field, to simplify the transition from game to performance. In the days leading up to the event, workers have visited a tent outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., to receive nasal swabs for Covid-19 tests. And though a smaller crew is putting on the show this year, the bathroom trailers have been going through three times as much water as usual — because of all that hand-washing.

Amid a global pandemic, the gargantuan logistical undertaking that is the halftime show has gotten even more complicated.