(Reuters) – China’s top flight basketball league will allow some spectators to watch games at its Qingdao city hub in Shandong province from Sunday, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) said in a statement on Thursday.
The CBA league had resumed its 2019-20 season on June 20 following the COVID-19 stoppage with matches held inside empty stadiums in Qingdao and Dongguan city in Guangdong province.
Yet the league said that its official ticketing platform had now published links allowing medical staff, teachers and public security personnel to book tickets to watch two games on Sunday.
It added ticket sales for the larger public would officially resume for matches starting July 31, but those who want to watch games must be at least 12 years old and have obtained a virus test certificate within the past 48 hours.
Supporters, who will have the option of booking COVID-19 tests when buying tickets on the official platform, must adhere to strict social distancing guidelines by keeping a distance of one metre between each other and wear masks during games.
The novel coronavirus outbreak has killed more than 4,600 people in mainland China.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
