The Overwatch League announced Wednesday it will cancel all scheduled matches for the months of March and April as the novel coronavirus expands into a global pandemic.

"The health and safety of employees, fans, players, teams, and partners is paramount to Activision Blizzard Esports," said the Overwatch League.

"After careful review and working in close collaboration with our teams, we are canceling all Overwatch League events scheduled for March and April.

Concurrently, we are working hand-in-hand with our teams to see that all matches are played when it’s safe and logistically feasible, staying as close to our originally planned schedule as possible. We are considering the various options available to esports in this effort, so that all teams – including those previously impacted by scheduling changes in China – can get back to doing what they do best.

No adjustments have been made for any other scheduled Overwatch League events."

Earlier Wednesday, one of its teams, the Paris Eternal announced on Twitter it had canceled a weekend of matches set for April 11 and 12 in Paris. The decision marked the first canceled matches due to the coronavirus outside of China and South Korea.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic on Wednesday.