Faker, Zeus, Oner, and Keria from T1’s League of Legends division have tested positive for COVID-19, the organization announced today. Among the infected staff members is also Kim “Moment” Ji-hwan, one of the coaches for the team. Other members of the squad tested negative for the virus.
The news comes just a day after the 2022 LCK Spring Split finals, which T1 dominantly won versus Gen.G, at the same time becoming the first team in the world to qualify for the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational.
Now, the organization will be following South Korea’s government guidelines to ensure the well-being of the players. The infected players “will be quarantined until April 9 following the government’s quarantine guidelines and will be treated at the team’s accommodations,” according to the announcement. “We will make sure that the players get plenty of rest and all the necessities for a speedy recovery during this time.”
The MSI 2022 doesn’t begin for another month, kicking off on May 10, so the sudden surge of infections among the squad shouldn’t influence the team’s preparations for the international tournament.
LCK competitors struggled with the COVID-19 infections this Spring Split. Since the competition began in January, multiple teams have reported a few positive cases in their ranks from time to time, which forced them to play a couple of games with substitutes. There were, however, cases in which teams had to forfeit matches due to being unable to field a full roster for a series.
Despite infections spiking hard in South Korea, which recorded 234,301 new cases on Saturday, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, the country will host MSI 2022. The event is scheduled to take place in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city.
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