Covid-19: Australia state greenlights full crowds for Australian Open, Ashes series

The Australian Open tennis Grand Slam and Boxing Day cricket test in Melbourne will be able to welcome capacity crowds as Covid-19 restrictions ease in Victoria state, officials said on Thursday.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said from 11:59pm (12:59 GMT) on Thursday, there will no longer be any caps on gatherings in the state.

"Whether it's 100,000 people at the MCG on Boxing Day or a smaller group of people standing up at the ... local pub, this is the Covid-normal that every Victorian has built," he said at a media briefing.

The eased restrictions will be welcomed by Australia's major sports, which have taken significant hits to revenue due to crowd caps in Melbourne, the country's second-largest city and Victoria state capital, through the pandemic.

The last Australian Open in February was limited to 30,000 people per day -- about half of Melbourne Park's usual capacity -- before all fans were banned for five days due to a snap lockdown.

Last year's Boxing Day test between Australia and India had crowds capped at 30,000 per day at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The last Ashes test against England at the stadium in 2017 drew a crowd of more than 88,000 on Boxing Day alone.

Victoria has progressively eased restrictions as Covid-19 vaccination rates have soared in recent weeks. Authorities expect 90 per cent of people in the state aged over 12 will be fully vaccinated by the end of the week.