Melbourne – Due to rising Corona numbers in the Australian state of Victoria, the regional government in Melbourne has announced that the crowd at the Australian Open will be limited to 50 per cent of capacity.
All tickets sold so far will remain valid, the government assured. According to The Age newspaper, no match in the tournament, which starts on Monday, had sold more than half of its tickets so far.
Due to the spread of the contagious Omikron variant of the coronavirus, the number of infections had recently risen massively, especially in Victoria and in the state of New South Wales with the major city of Sydney. For this reason, masks are compulsory for all visitors, it was added.
The Australian Open in the metropolis of Melbourne begins on Monday and ends on 30 January with the final in the men’s singles. It is still unclear whether tennis world number one Novak Djokovic will be allowed to participate in the tournament and try to defend his title. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke could still revoke the visa of the unvaccinated Serb. A decision is expected possibly later today.