Just days before the start of the 2021 LCS Lock In tournament, CLG and Dignitas reportedly have players or staff who have tested positive for COVID-19.
First reported by Inven Global’s Parkes Ousley, CLG’s League of Legends general manager Daniel “Tafokints” Lee confirmed that once one of the team’s members tested positive, the org put everyone that might have been exposed in quarantine.
Before the positive COVID test, CLG had been practicing at the team’s facility in a face-to-face environment. Though this means the players had lower ping and better quality of practice, it did increase the chances of a possible outbreak since they were meeting in-person.
CLG’s GM also said the affected players and staff haven’t been hospitalized based on current symptoms and that COVID hasn’t affected the team’s roster for the LCS Lock In. In fact, the only changes that the team will have are due to visa processing issues because of the pandemic. Top laner Finn and jungler Broxah are both still waiting for visa approval, which means Solo and Griffin will be filling in for them in the meantime.
Meanwhile, reporter Travis Gafford also reported that multiple members of Dignitas have tested positive for COVID-19 as well. Not much is known outside of that information, but this could prompt a discussion around making LCS teams play out the Lock In—and subsequent 2021 Spring Split—away from their respective team facilities.
Coronavirus numbers have increased steadily in Los Angeles County since Thanksgiving, with almost 12,000 new cases being reported by L.A. Public Health yesterday. L.A. hospitals are struggling to keep up with the constant increase in cases, and as such, it might make sense for LCS players to compete from the safety of their own homes for the time being.
The LCS Lock In tournament is set to begin on Friday, Jan. 15.
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