Spanish aficionados return to Madrid bullring for first time since pandemic

People queue to go inside Las Ventas bullring for the first bullfight since the start of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Madrid, Spain, May 2, 2021. REUTERS/Susana Vera

MADRID (Reuters) - Carrying red and yellow flowers to show bullfighting is a symbol of Spanish culture, thousands of aficionados cheered on matadors who returned to Madrid's Las Ventas bullring on Sunday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Wearing mandatory face masks and sitting in fumigated seats separated by stickers, fans watched matadors take on seven bulls in a charity contest to raise money for jobless bullfighters and other workers in the sector.