Covid outbreak ravages ALGS

Further scandal has hit the Apex Legends Global Series Championship, as multiple players are forced to withdraw from the tournament due to positive Covid tests.

Teams across the tournament have been affected to varying degrees of severity as the tournament organizers hold firm about a Covid protocol that has caused uproar in the community.

Covid sweeps ALGS

The ALGS has been mired in controversy after controversy. First, there was a game-breaking bug that prevented players from practicing. Next, multiple teams were forced to field stand-ins due to visa issues. Now, as the tournament seemingly limps towards its Grand Final on July 10, Covid has become the latest issue to plague the tournament.

At the time of writing, 15 players have tested positive, with 13 of them testing positive at the event itself. This has forced teams to use stand-ins, but some teams have been forced to compete with reduced numbers entirely after their stand-ins also tested positive.

However, players and fans alike have leveled their criticism at the tournament organizers after they doubled down on their Covid protocol of declaring any player who tests positive as ineligible for the rest of the tournament.

While the ALGS organizers have stated that the policy is in place in the interest of public health, many have been quick to point out the wealth of maskless fans inside the arena as undermining this message.

Apex community slams organizer response

The Apex community has been overwhelmingly critical of EA’s decision to simply remove players who test positive from the tournament. Many have argued that other LAN events have implemented a quarantined space for positive Covid cases to play in. TSM-affiliated content creator Mac “Albralelie” Beckwith went as far as to accuse the organizers of “trying to cut corners and save money” with their policy.

The ALGS is not the first LAN tournament in 2022 to deal with Covid-related problems, but it is one of the few to not provide a remote or quarantined option. League of Legends’ Mid-Season Invitational in May/June saw Chinese team RNG compete remotely due to a lockdown in their home city of Shanghai. The LEC Summer split has had teams and players play remotely, or at least off-stage. The 2021 PUBG World Championships also allowed Chinese teams to compete remotely.

As the tournament enters its third day, the organizers are trying to paint a bright facade on social media, while they attempt to handle quickly growing unrest behind the scenes.

Header: Alexisrael, Electronic Arts