QLD announces Gabba crowd capacity after COVID lockdown

The Gabba will operate at 50 per cent crowd capacity for the fourth and final Test of the summer between Australia and India.

It means around 20,000 fans will be able to attend the cricket in Brisbane on Friday but supporters will have to wear masks whenever they are not seated.

“The Gabba will be filled to half the capacity and masks are mandatory for entering and for leaving and moving around the stadium,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Pałaszczuk said.

“But if you are sitting there at your seat you will not need to wear your mask because you are outside.”

Greater Brisbane ends it three-day strict lockdown at 6pm on Monday after a hotel worker tested positive last week to a “highly-contagious” UK variant of COVID-19.

The third Test will conclude in Sydney on Monday and India have agreed to travel to Brisbane on Tuesday after a tense standoff over hotel quarantine conditions.

The status of the series finale has been uncertain for more than a week, after unnamed sources from within India’s camp pushed for it to be moved from the Queensland capital.

At the centre of their concerns were fears over the strictness of hotel quarantine, with the push known to have frustrated Australia’s players.

CA has been insistent all along the Test will go ahead at the ground as planned, after receiving positive feedback from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) bosses.

On Sunday night they received the most important tick of approval.

Sources from within CA have told AAP that India’s touring party confirmed with them they are happy to play in Brisbane and agree to the city’s quarantine protocols.

Crucial in the discussions are believed to be signed assurances from Queensland Health that they will be allowed to mingle within the hotel.

Also, police will not patrol their floors, given CA has hired the entire accommodation complex with players able to roam within.

There had been fears about what the UK strain of the virus being present in Brisbane could mean for the Indian team after they leave.

However, those concerns now appear to have subsided.

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