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.
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.
Loading
For 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 twitter account posted:
“Looking forward to welcoming fans back to Melbourne Park tomorrow [raising hands emoji] with attendance capped at 7,477 for each session – approximately 50 per cent capacity.”
More to come.
