TOKYO: Japanese professional baseball accepted spectators for the first time this season on July 10 as the government’s restrictions on events imposed due to the novel coronavirus epidemic were eased on the day.

Five of the six official regular season games scheduled for the day were played with audience, while the remaining match was rained out. For the time being, up to 5,000 spectators per stadium will be allowed.

The Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, started the 2020 season behind closed doors on June 19 with a delay of about three months due to the coronavirus crisis.

Spectators are obliged to have their body temperatures checked when entering stadiums and wear face masks in the ballparks. They also have to refrain from shouting during the games and keep an adequate distance from each other.

One match of the J2 second division of the Japan Professional Football League, or J.League was also held with spectators on July 10. The J1 top division plans to accept fans in stadium, starting with matches scheduled for July 11.

The upper limit for spectators is set to be raised to 50 percent of each stadium’s capacity on August 1 for both professional baseball and soccer games.

JIJI Press