Australia's National Rugby League has cut crowd numbers for the Melbourne Storm's next match due to concerns of the pandemic, while 12 members of a Melbourne basketball team have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Under Queensland state government rules, venues can only host crowds at 50 percent capacity. Sunday's crowd of 5,437 was under that figure at the venue, which can accommodate up to 12,500, but fans were packed too closely together. 

"We've been contacted by the NRL this morning, and the Storm themselves are saying they want to reduce the number of people to that stadium by 1,000," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Monday. 

"We want people to adhere to social distancing. That is incredibly important," she added.

The Storm has relocated to Queensland following a spike in cases in Melbourne, the Victoria state capital. The state declared a state of disaster on Sunday and imposed fresh, sweeping restrictions including a nightly curfew for Melbourne for the next six weeks.

Despite a lockdown, Melbourne has continued to report hundreds of new cases daily even as other states in Australia have reported zero or a small number.

Meanwhile, Australian basketball has also been hit by concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

Melbourne United said 12 players had tested positive while players from South East Melbourne Phoenix have also undergone testing and been placed in isolation.

The NBL is not scheduled to start its new season until December.

(With input from agencies)