2021 Grammys postponed over COVID-19 concerns
Music's biggest night was set for January 31.
It looks like the 2021 Grammy Awards will be postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
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The annual awards show was previously set to be hosted by Trevor Noah on Jan. 31 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles but now it’s tentatively scheduled for March, according to Rolling Stone.
While this year’s show was already planning major changes to accommodate social distancing guidelines, the news of the postponement comes as Los Angeles is crippled by the rampant spread of COVID-19.
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On Monday, SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors and media professionals, called for a production hold amid the surge.
“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.
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Even though Hollywood has deep pockets and has mandated protocols to try to keep people safe from coronavirus during production, there are other factors to consider when contending with a hospital system that is truly overwhelmed.
“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 added.
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