Grammy Awards, originally scheduled to take place on January 31, have been postponed until March due to coronavirus concerns, the organizers announced on Tuesday.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Recording Academy, citing “thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear,” confirmed that they will stage the award show on Sunday, March 14.
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The statement cited the “deteriorating COVID situation” in Los Angeles County as the reason for the move. The city has been so overwhelmed by the illness in recent days that several hospitals have had to turn away ambulances due to a shortage of oxygen.
Recording Academy added;
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. 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.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 was signed by Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy; Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS; and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions.
They stressed;
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 Grammys was scheduled to air on CBS live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center, with TV show host, Trevor Noah hosting the event.
With the latest development, the award ceremony will now air on March 14 from 8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT.
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