Australia to allow crowds at sporting events from July

SYDNEY: Australia will allow crowds of up to 10,000 people into Australian sports stadiums from next month as part of plans to ease COVID-19 restrictions in the country.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “It would only apply to stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or under,” ruling out the likes of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval for now.

He further said, “This is something that would be happening as part of step 3, where states and territories choose to move to that, and it will require a bit more work.”

“All patrons must be ticketed and seated with social distancing rules in place, and attendance will be limited to 25 percent of the venue’s capacity,” Australian PM added.

Scott Morrison also said, “It would have to be a large, open area. Crowds should be seated at the appropriate distance.”

“If we’re talking about large folk festivals where people roam around from tent to tent, and gathering to gathering, that is not something that is being talked about here,” he clarified. 

Australia’s two biggest professional winter sports, the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Football League (AFL) resumed their seasons with matches at closed stadiums. The announcement opens the door for fans to cheer the teams at mid-tier stadia.

Crowds have been barred from sporting events in Australia since mid-March when tournaments came to a crashing half due to the COVID-19 pandemic.