By Oyinlola Awonuga (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Fashion and Sports Desk)
France has given the greenlight to re-open stadia with 5,000 capacity spectators. In effect, only this designated numbers would be allowed to attend events in each stadium when they re-open on July 11.
The French government announced this at the weekend. The limit applies to “big events, stadiums and concert halls”, the government said, but it may be raised later in the summer.
“A review of the national epidemiological situation will be carried out in mid-July to decide if it is possible to relax (the rules) in the second half of August,” it added in a statement.
Although football’s Ligue 1 and 2 and rugby’s Top 14 league decided to end their seasons in April after they were halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s decision means a crowd should be able to attend the coming French Football Cup and League Cup finals.
A date has not been sent for either match but they are expected to be played at the end of July. More than 29,600 people have reportedly died from virus-related conditions in France. However, the national lockdown imposed in the wake of teh pandemic was lifted in May.
