The J-League decided Monday to postpone a planned increase in the number of fans allowed inside stadiums following a resurgence of coronavirus cases in Japan.

The league made the decision to hold off raising the maximum number of spectators from 5,000 per game to around 50 percent of stadium capacity from Aug. 1 during an online meeting of team executives.

The league plans to stick with the current limit until at least Aug. 10. It will also postpone admitting away fans and lifting a temporary ban on alcohol sales at stadiums.

Fans have their temperatures checked before entering Showa Denko Dome in Oita, southwestern Japan, on July 11, 2020. J-League football began to admit spectators for top-flight matches the same day for the first time in about four and a half months after a coronavirus-led hiatus. (Kyodo)

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It will review its plans next Monday at the next meeting of the expert medical panel it formed in conjunction with Nippon Professional Baseball to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

While the league has so far largely followed government recommendations on coronavirus safety measures, the latest decision has taken into account strong public sentiment, according to J-League chairman Mitsuru Murai.

"The situation feels very serious. The public seems to want a high degree of caution," Murai said.

While some clubs are operating at a loss under the current spectator limits, there were no objections to postponing the increase.