More than 22,000 fans attend New Zealand rugby match

New Zealand became one of the first nations in the world to welcome hordes of fans back into a packed sports stadium, thanks to the country's remarkable success in eliminating the coronavirus.

A capacity crowd packed the Forsyth Barr Stadium in the city of Dunedin to welcome the return of professional rugby, three months after the sport's professional tournaments were shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Almost 20,000 tickets had been sold before the opening Super Rugby Aotearoa match between the local Highlanders and the Hamilton-based Chiefs, and walk-ups filled the stadium to its capacity of 22,800 before kick-off.

There were no restrictions on physical contact. Fans could hug, high-five, congregate in groups before and after the match and fill public transport without wearing masks or social distancing.

New Zealand has almost eradicated COVID-19 after shutting its borders and imposing an early and thorough lockdown. There are no active cases and New Zealand has recorded no new infections in 22 days.