Crowds at Australian Open to Be Capped, Covid19 Restrictions Limit Crowds to 50% for Grand Slam

Crowds at Australian Open to Be Capped, Covid19 Restrictions Limit Crowds to 50% for Grand Slam

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:54 PM
  • The Australian government has decided to cap the crowd capacity at 50% for the upcoming Australian Open
  • The decision to limit crowd capacity at the Australian Open was made to curb the spread of Covid19 cases
  • Numerous Covid19 restrictions were put in place ahead of the Australian Open including the limiting of crowds in attendance

In a bid to stem a rise in Covid19 cases at the first grand slam of the year, organisers at the Australian Open have capped the number of spectators allowed in attendance at matches.

Australian Open, Covid19, Sport, South Africa, Tennis, Australia
There will be a cap on crowds allowed to attend the Australian Open tournament as Covid19 continues to pose a threat. Image: Patrick Hamilton/ Graham Denholm
Source: Getty Images

Crowds at the first grand slam of the year will be capped at 50% capacity in a bit to stem a potential rise in Covid19 cases.

Fans will also have to wear their face masks at all times except when they're eating or drinking and they will have to socially distance themselves while indoors, ENCA confirmed.

The Guardian reported that the Victorian government released a statement in which they also added that ventilation would also be improved at Melbourne Park, just one of the measures put in place.

“As Covid-19 hospitalisations and cases continue to rise in Victoria, these mitigation strategies are proportionate and designed to assist in limiting the spread of Covid-19,” the statement read.

Fans react to the news that crowds will be capped at the Australian Open

Fans took to social media following the announcement that there would be a limit on the crowd capacity at the Australian, but most comments still centred on the Novak Djokovic drama.

@ausscripts:

"Masks outdoors in the heat? What health advice is this?"

@95markr:

"Is that to tame down the booing if Dojovic gets to play?"

@Miranda89371538:

"Why should we go by r the rules if that tennis player is not..who is he. God"

Novak Djokovic caught in a lie, world number one admits errors were made as he faces deportation once again

In other tennis related news, the Novak Djokovic vs Australia saga is far from over and the world number one could soon be deported before the start of the Australian Open, Sports Brief earlier reported.

Djokovic was detained in a Melbourne hotel as he awaited deportation before a judge overturned the decision and released the star. But despite being cleared and allowed to play in the upcoming Australian Open, Djokovic could yet be deported as he admitted that there were 'errors' with his paperwork before he arrived in Australia.

Sport24 reported that Djokovic admitted that there was an error on his Australian travel declaration, where he accidentally stated that he would not be flying for 14 days before jetting off to Melbourne. Djokovic claims that his agent was responsible for the paperwork error.

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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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