The Overwatch League has joined a growing list of organizations that have decided to postpone and cancel events scheduled in China due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. Over on Twitter, the league announced that it has cancelled all February and March matches in China, and will share an updated schedule in due course.
Matches planned to take place in China later this year will go ahead as planned, barring unforeseen circumstances.
As authorities around the world work to control the outbreak, Guangzhou Charge and Shanghai Dragons will temporarily relocate to South Korea.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our players above all else,” wrote Guangzhou Charge. “To that end, we have decided to move our pre-season training base to South Korea. We believe that this is the best course for our team, after looking at factors such as uncertainties around the epidemic, uncertainties around how our schedule will be impacted, geographic considerations, and how best to protect our players given how quickly things change on a day-to-day basis.”
Shanghai Dragons released a similar statement. The team added that it’s in close contact with the league organizers, and will update fans about its February homestand soon.
The spread of Coronovirus has led to a number of countries tightening travel controls. According to latest figures, at least 258 people have died in epicenter China, and the virus has been detected in multiple regions around the globe. Approximately nine million Wuhan residents were put under quarantine on January 23rd as part of efforts to control the spread.
[Source: Overwatch League via The Washington Post]
