Tokyo Olympics Will Allow 10,000 Spectators in the Arenas

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will allow up to 10,000 Japanese spectators to watch the upcoming games.

Up to 10,000 spectators - or up to 50% of each venue's capacity - will be allowed to watch the games according to rules laid out by the IOC and the Japanese government on Monday. Spectators in the arenas must wear face masks at all times and "speaking in a loud voice or shouting will be prohibited." Venues will also have visitors leave in a staggered manner and all spectators should travel directly between their homes and the arenas without stopping anywhere else en route.

The announcement comes after the IOC ruled in March that international spectators would not be allowed into this year's games.

Although spectators are limited to 10,000 people, students from school groups and VIPs and corporate guests are not included in that count. Delegates and sponsors are considered "organizers" and will also not be included in the spectator count.

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"There are so many cases, domestically and internationally [of] sports events with spectators," Tokyo 2020 organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said, according to The BBC. "By exercising thorough measures and based on the government criteria, we believe we can hold the Games with spectators. The entire world is facing the same issues and we have to work together to overcome them."

In the event that a state of emergency is declared in Tokyo anytime after July 12, numbers will be restricted to obey the government's rules.

The Olympics are scheduled to begin July 23, with the Paralympics to begin a month later on August 24. Spectator numbers and policies for the Paralympics will be announced on July 16.

A state of emergency that has been in place in Tokyo since mid-April was lifted Sunday, according to Kyodo News. However, the prefecture is still under a state of "quasi-emergency" with safety measures like curfews for bars and restaurants until July 11.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.