End of Melbourne lockdown paves way for crowds at cricket, tennis

Melbourne’s liberation from its COVID-19 lockdown has boosted hopes of crowds attending some of Australia’s major sporting events in the country’s second-biggest city. The Australian men’s cricket team is slated to host India in the traditional Boxing Day test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from Dec. 26, while the world’s top tennis players are due to play the Australian Open, 2021’s first Grand Slam, in January. Restaurants, pubs and retail businesses in Melbourne, home to 5 million people, will reopen from Wednesday after more than three months under a stringent lockdown. Authorities will also allow limited social visits to houses.