The Grammy Awards will not be happening later this month as planned.
The awards ceremony, which celebrates the best in music, has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a joint statement from the Recording Academy, CBS and show producers. It will now take place on Sunday, March 14, 2021, the statement said.
The event had been set to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31, with “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah acting as host.
“The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” the statement said. “Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”
The statement was signed by Harvey Mason, Jr., chair and interim president and CEO of the Recording Academy; Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming for CBS and Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston.
“We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times,” the statement added.
Top nominees for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards include Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch and Taylor Swift.
The move comes one day after the union that represents actors and media professionals, SAG-AFTRA, called for a production hold in COVID-plagued Southern California.
“Southern California hospitals are facing a crisis the likes of which we have never seen before. Patients are dying in ambulances waiting for treatment because hospital emergency rooms are overwhelmed. This is not a safe environment for in-person production right now,” SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement on Monday.
In its guidance, the union encouraged members to stay home and decline on-set employment.
“Even putting aside the risk of acquiring COVID on set — a risk that we have done a great deal to mitigate through our safety protocols — on-set production always poses some risk of injury, whether because of a stunt gone wrong, an equipment failure or a garden-variety fall. Right now, with few if any hospital beds available, it is hard to understand how a worker injured on set is supposed to seek treatment,” SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White said.
The Grammys was set to be the start of Hollywood awards season.
The Golden Globes, which is usually held in January, will now be the first award show of the season, if it goes forward. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on February 28, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California.
Source: CNN
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