Grammys 2021 Postponed Amid Surge In COVID-19 Cases

The Grammy Awards has become the latest event to get postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. The Recording Academy announced that the star-studded ceremony, which was due to take place on Jan. 31, has now been rescheduled to March 14 after seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles.

Executives from the Recording Academy and CBS issued a joint statement on the official Grammy Awards website, saying it is virtually impossible to go forward with the event due to the rising cases in L.A., where the ceremony was set to be held.

The organizers also noted that the decision was taken after discussions with all the stakeholders, including host Trevor Noah and the artists who were set to perform on music’s biggest night.

“After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021,” Recording Academy chair and interim president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr., CBS executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming Jack Sussman and Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston said in a statement.

The organizers also explained that it was difficult for them to postpone the ceremony. However, they admitted that pushing back the event was the responsible thing to do amid the pandemic.

“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,” the statement continued.

They concluded the statement by expressing gratitude to all the “artists, the staff, vendors, and especially this year’s nominees” for their patience as the music industry navigates through uncertain times.

California is the worst-affected state in the U.S. when it comes to COVID-19 infections. The state witnessed 31,440 new cases and 368 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking its death tally to 27,003. CNN recently reported that intensive care units (ICUs) in L.A. are filled with patients suffering from the coronavirus and people with other health complications are finding it difficult to find beds in hospitals.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis labeled the situation as a “human disaster” and explained that all the healthcare workers are “physically and mentally exhausted” because of the pressure.

“Hospitals are declaring internal disasters and having to open church gyms to serve as hospital units. Our health care workers are physically and mentally exhausted and sick,” Solis told CNN.