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Just a few days before the International 10 (TI10), Chinese powerhouse, Team Aster has revealed that three of its players have tested positive for COVID-19. Du "Monet" Peng, Lin "Xxs" Jing, and Ye "Borax" Zhibiao (aka "BoBoKa") are the three players who have been infected with the virus according to Team Aster's public announcement. The Chinese team has been bootcamping in Bucharest, Romania ahead of TI10 which is scheduled to kick off on 7th October 2021 despite a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
Team Aster Makes Official Announcement Confirming Monet, Xxs and Borax Testing Positive For COVID-19
After rumours about Team Aster's staff testing positive for COVID-19 started to surface on Chinese social media websites, the team decided to make an official announcement clarifying the current situation at the Bootcamp.
In a statement posted on its official Weibo handle, Team Aster confirmed that Monet, Xxs and Borax as well as two other staff members had tested positive for the virus after undergoing Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests. However, the team also reassured fans by stating that everyone who had tested positive was either "asymptomatic" or "mildly ill."
Team Aster also indicated that the team were very precautious stating that after arriving in Romania, it had not left the hotel they were staying in, except for purchasing necessities. The infected members of the team are currently self-isolated.
All Five Chinese Teams Are Staying in the Same Hotel
In its statement, Team Aster also confirmed that all five Chinese teams competing at TI10 were also staying in the same hotel. Currently, there is no official information about their situation amidst this recent outbreak in Team Aster. However, Team Aster stated that it had reported the current circumstances as soon as possible and reiterated that there was no concealment or misrepresentation in the process.
The other four Chinese teams have reportedly stated that all their staff and players had all undergone tests and tested negative.
It is certainly going to be interesting to see how this impacts The International 10. Considering the rise in number of COVID-19 cases in the host country, this was always going to be a challenge to run the event smoothly.
Perhaps the infected players will continue to compete in the Group Stages from isolation, and still be ready to compete on the main stage when it kicks off.
Team Aster stated that it is in active communication with the organizers about the follow-up arrangements and that it would keep its followers informed as soon as any development surfaces.
