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ESL has confirmed that the Los Angeles Major will proceed as planned.
The offline portion of the event will be held at the Shrine Auditorium from March 20 to 22. With the coronavirus closing in on pandemic status, ESL ensured “an additional focus on health and safety measures on-site,” such as bolstering the numbers of trained medical staff to guarantee the well-being of attendees.
ESL said that it will be “in close contact with the local authorities” and will constantly “re-evaluate and react” to any new situation should there be indications of potential health risks due to the coronavirus.
ESL’s statement was posted before officials in the Los Angeles County declared a local state of emergency, however. Six new coronavirus cases have been confirmed over the last 48 hours in L.A. alone.
Kathryn Barger, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, told reporters that “this is not a response rooted in panic.” The proclamation allows Los Angeles “to further draw down resources from both the federal and state level of government,” according to county supervisor Hilda L. Solis.
At time of writing and according to The New York Times, there are 45 confirmed cases in the state of California, making it the highest amount of any U.S. state. No deaths due to the coronavirus have been reported in the state yet.
Due to the developing situation, the L.A. Major still runs a risk of being abandoned. With the bulk of cases occurring in China, the country has seen several esports events ranging from League of Legends, Overwatch, and even Dota 2 meet delays or outright cancelation.
Related: Every esports event impacted by coronavirus | Shutdowns, audience limits, and more
Dota 2‘s developer Valve has yet to release an official statement regarding the crisis. So far, the only measure Valve has taken was to delay the qualifiers for the L.A. Major in China by a week.
The ESL One L.A. Major is the third Major of the 2019-20 Dota Pro Circuit. The tournament is yet to start, but storylines are already brewing. The City of Angeles will be the site of the star-studded OG’s debut this season. It will also host other revamped rosters, such as Ninjas in Pyjamas and Virtus Pro.
