ESL officially unveiled its plans to play its eleventh season online due to growing concerns over “the current global dynamics” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
This comes after the news broke that Malta had banned travel from four more European countries. Those coming from Germany, France, Spain, and Switzerland will be unable to come into the country after midnight on Wednesday, March 11th. Those landing prior to that time will be subject to quarantine. The four countries have been added to the list previously only comprised of Italy.
“In light of the current dynamics regarding COVID-19, we have made the decision to play the regular season matches of ESL Pro League Season 11 online, and are moving the finals from 1STBANK CENTER, Denver to a studio location without a live audience in Europe,” the official post from ESL states.
The playoffs will also not be played in Denver, but will instead be held in a not yet named studio location in Europe “to minimize the overall travel and mitigate the risk for potential travel restrictions.”
Most of the teams are already in Europe according to ESL and “teams are offering their facilities and boot camp locations to fellow players coming in from other countries,” to help support the remainder of the season.
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