A maximum of 3,500 people living in the Netherlands will be allowed to attend the Eurovision 2021 events.
With a limited number of spectators, this year's Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, next May.
According to the newspaper de Telegraaf, this decision is part of an initiative of the Dutch government, entitled "fieldlab", for the presence of a small number of spectators in theaters, conference centers and football matches under strict supervision.
The organizers of Eurovision had announced in February that some events with social distancing measures would take place, but did not specify whether the public would be allowed to watch.
A maximum of 3,500 people living in the Netherlands will be allowed to attend the rehearsals, the semifinals and the final of the competition from May 18 to 22, the newspaper wrote, citing a government official.
The event will be attended by 39 countries, including Greece and Cyprus, and spectators must have tested for coronavirus and tested negative in order to attend, according to the report.
The Netherlands is hosting the 65th Eurovision Song Contest, which draws around 200 million viewers each year, following the victory of Dutch singer Duncan Lawrence at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Arcade".
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that a nationwide traffic ban and other restrictive measures aimed at halting the pandemic will be extended by three weeks until the end of April due to rising coronavirus cases.
To date, more than 1.28 million coronavirus cases and 16,559 deaths have been reported in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.