Spectators will be allowed to attend the final four days of the Australian Open following confirmation the five-day Victorian state coronavirus lockdown will end at midnight.
Key points:
- The Australian Open will have fans present at Melbourne Park to watch play on the last four days
- The event started with crowds capped at 30,000 per day — before the venue was closed to the public
- Now organisers have confirmed crowds will be allowed back from Thursday until the event's conclusion on Sunday
Attendance from Thursday onwards will be capped at 7,477 spectators for each session, which is approximately 50 per cent capacity.
For the start of the tournament, organisers allowed a maximum of 30,000 fans a day to watch from inside the venue, although most days the total attendance was lower than this number.
Fans were allowed to sit in their seats without masks when the stadium roof was open although they had to wear masks in concourse areas.
Then last Friday, the State Government announced a five-day statewide lockdown would apply from midnight in response to the spread of the UK variant of COVID-19.
LoadingFor the last five days, matches have been held without fans present.
On Wednesday afternoon, following state government confirmation that lockdown would end at midnight, the Australian Open released a statement.
"We look forward to welcoming fans back to the Australian Open for the next four days and to finishing the event safely and on a high," tournament director Craig Tiley said in the statement.
"The crowd will be capped at 7,477 for each session, which is approximately 50 per cent capacity.
"Last week we had our first real experience of live sport with fans in the stands and the atmosphere was electric.
"The players appreciated the opportunity to compete in front of crowds for the first time in almost a year, and many spoke about how emotional it was to connect with fans again.
"The COVIDSafe measures we had in place will continue, and we've opened up the zones so everyone can access the full site and enjoy both Grand Slam Oval and Garden Square.
"We are all looking forward to an incredible four days of tennis and can't wait to see everyone back at the AO."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAyLTE3L2F1c3RyYWxpYW4tb3Blbi1tZWxib3VybmUtcGFyay1jb3ZpZC0xOS1zcGVjdGF0b3JzLXRpY2tldHMvMTMxNjQyMTDSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTMxNjQyMTA?oc=5
2021-02-17 07:32:00Z
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