Star City Games and ChannelFireball revealed today that upcoming tournaments and events are canceled due to recommendations from government health officials.
In light of the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic, SCG canceled tournament events in Baltimore (March 14 to 15), and Syracuse, New York (March 21 to 22). The decision to cancel was also made following a request from the DC Health Department to cancel or reschedule major events.
ChannelFireball also announced today that MagicFest events in Detroit (March 13 to 15), Sao Paulo, Brazil (March 20 to 22), and Louisville, Kentucky (March 27 to 29) were still a go, with preventive measures being implemented. Following recommendations from public government health officials, CFB revealed it was canceling all three upcoming MagicFest events mentioned in a tweet while adding Palm Beach, Florida (April 10 to 12) to the list.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said today all non-essential travel was canceled for state employees and that it was recommended businesses do the same. And in Detroit, Bethanie Fisher of the special events and film office told Dot Esports that an email was sent out today recommending those hosting events to either cancel or reschedule.
MagicFest events include Grand Prix tournaments that can have an average of 300 to 500 players attending. This doesn’t include side events or booths on the floor featuring MTG artists, vendors, and cosplay. SCG events are slightly smaller but can still have several hundred players and fans attending a tournament.
