Daniel Lewis Lee and an accomplice were convicted of killing three members of the same family in 1996.

Some of the victims' relatives oppose his execution and sought to have it delayed, saying attending it could expose them to coronavirus.

But the ruling means the execution by lethal injection will now proceed.

The appeal court overturned a decision by a lower court that put the execution of 47-year-old Lee on hold, saying no federal statute or regulation gave the victims the right to attend the execution.

In its ruling, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said the family's claim "lacks any arguable legal basis and is therefore frivolous".

The relatives are going to appeal to the Supreme Court. It will have to act before 16:00 Monday local time (20:00 GMT) to stop the execution, the New York Times reports.

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