'So Excited': Fans Return To Australian Open After Snap Lockdown 02/17/21 AT 10:39 PM Excited fans drifted back to the Australian Open Thursday after a snap five-day lockdown in Melbourne was eased, determined to create some atmosphere over the final days of a tournament severely disrupted by the coronavirus. The already-delayed opening Grand Slam of the year was plunged into yet more chaos last week when Australia's second most populous city was ordered behind closed doors after a new Covid-19 cluster. Even before the latest roadblock, the sprawling Melbourne Park complex on the banks of the Yarra River had been operating with a limit of just 30,000 spectators a day -- less than half -- under coronavirus restrictions.