Baseball teams in Taiwan’s professional CPBL baseball league will be allowed to play for full crowds as stadiums will be able to host fans at 100 percent of their seating capacity starting Nov. 2, after having to cap attendance for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the league Saturday.

The green light to return to normal attendance at the games was backed by a recent Central Epidemic Command Center decision to lift limits on the number of people that can gather indoors and outdoors in response to the current stable COVID-19 situation in Taiwan.

The league informed clubs on Friday it had already verified with the Sports Administration, Taiwan’s authority governing sports affairs, that fan attendance at games can reach full capacity starting Tuesday as long as disease prevention guidelines are followed, the CPBL said.

However, the exact date that the restriction at various stadiums will be lifted will be announced by the respective clubs, the CPBL said.

This marks the first time since early 2020 that the CPBL has lifted restrictions on the number of fans allowed in the stadiums.

When COVID-19 first broke out early last year, the games were played behind closed doors before they were opened up to allow a maximum of 78 percent attendance in the second half of the season.

This season saw a continued policy of allowing a maximum capacity of 78 percent, but the games were put on hold for two months starting May in the wake of a spike in new domestic cases.

The games resumed in July behind closed doors before gradually opening up to allow 25 percent attendance and later the current 50 percent.

CPBL is the top tier professional baseball league in Taiwan and was formed in 1989.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel