UPDATED Jun. 8: Riot Games Head of NA Esports Chris Greeley has provided a statement regarding the three teams who will be playing remotely at the top 8 of the 2022 CLOL Championship due to positive COVID tests on every team. Greeley stated that the three teams playing remotely will be playing in partner facilities that will aim to provide the best competitive experience possible, while the other five teams will compete from the LCS arena as planned.

UPDATE Jun. 8: Winthrop University Director of Esports Josh Sides has shared more information in a recent tweet. Sides' latest tweet includes visual confirmation of all five starters and three staff members of the team testing negative for COVID-19 once again, in addition to a negative test for Paralysis, the support substitute whose positive test resulted in Winthrop University's alleged ousting from the LCS Arena ahead of the 2022 CLOL Championship top 8.

UPDATE Jun. 8: A source close to Inven Global has confirmed that UC Irvine will also be playing remotely after a positive COVID-19 test alongside Winthrop University and Converse University. This means that three of the eight teams left in the 2022 CLOL Championship will be competing outside of the LCS Arena this week.

Original story:

Winthrop University and Converse University will be competing remotely after members of both teams tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the top 8 of the 2022 CLOL Championship, which is being hosted in Riot Games' LCS Arena in Santa Monica, CA.

The change was made public by Winthrop University Director of Esports Josh Sides, who tweeted that his team was being ousted from the studio after a substitute — presumably support Jared "Paralysis" Brewer, as he is the only player on the eight-player roster who is specifically designated as such — tested positive for COVID-19. In his tweets, Sides also included the original Riot Games policy for the top 8 of CLOL 2022, which states the following: 

"ANY individual who has a positive COVID test at ANY point will not be allowed to return to the studio (official Riot policy is a 10-day quarantine, which is longer than the entire event). Any positive test result is considered final."

The policy also states that individuals who test positive will be allowed to compete remotely, albeit at a disadvantage due to being away from the LAN environment of the LCS arena, but Sides maintains that despite only one substitute testing positive with no symptoms and the rest of Winthrop University testing negative, their entire team will be competing remotely for the duration of the event. 

A tweet in a thread regarding potential alternatives for Winthrop University also confirmed that Converse University was in the same boat, but unlike Sides' thread about Winthrop University, no other details have surfaced. Riot Games have yet to provide clarity or make a statement regarding the logistical change and the alleged COVID-19 policy change for the top 8 of the 2022 CLOL Championship, which starts on Thursday, June 9, and concludes on Sunday, June 12.