Public reception capacity at the Australian Open tennis tournament will be limited to 50% due to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Melbourne region, the government of Melbourne announced on Thursday. the state of Victoria.
“This updated rules for the Australian Open means the public, players and staff can expect an extremely safe event.”, said state tourism minister Jaala Pulford in a statement.
For this first Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins Monday, the wearing of a mask will be compulsory for spectators, except for eating and drinking, and rules of distance must be respected inside.
Djokovic’s fate still unresolved
In 2021, similar rules were initially put in place. But a five-day confinement, decreed in Melbourne due to a resurgence of the epidemic, had forced the organizers to play most of the matches behind closed doors. Eventually, small groups of spectators were allowed into the Melbourne Park sports complex.
As of Thursday, the state of Victoria recorded 953 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, a record number, and more than 220,000 cases of ongoing contamination. Unless there is an extremely rare exemption, staff members and players are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The vast majority are, but world number one Novak Djokovic is not, which has sparked a major controversy for a week.
The Serbian’s participation in the Australian Open remains unresolved. Initially turned back at the border and placed in a detention center, the defending champion was released a few days later by decision of a judge. But the Australian government has not ruled out deporting him anyway, under its discretion.
