London Spitfire don’t expect to participate in Overwatch League matches until May

The London Spitfire expect to start playing in Overwatch League matches in “early May,” the team announced today.

The Spitfire relocated its entire team to Seoul, South Korea at the end of March but haven’t returned to action in the Overwatch League, which has pivoted to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Due to a government-mandated quarantine in Korea, we are currently taking the necessary precautions during this time to ensure the health and safety of our players,” the Spitfire said. “The London Spitfire expects to start playing Overwatch League matches again in early May. We thank you for your thoughts and considerations during this time and we are excited to play again once we are able.”

The team relocated to Seoul around March 25 to protect its players from the COVID-19 pandemic’s rampant spread in North America, where the team originally was based this season. The Vancover Titans also relocated to Seoul.

The New York Excelsior are another team that have backed out of their OWL matches for the time being. New York has been far and away the state most-impacted by the coronavirus spread.

The Overwatch League returned with online matches on March 28 after two weeks of hiatus due to the pandemic.