The 64th Grammy Awards Postponed amidst Omicron Concerns
New Delhi: The Recording Academy and CBS postponed the 64th annual Grammys award show on Thursday due to the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
The musical award show was scheduled for January 31, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, with performances and a live audience.
A joint statement by the Recording Academy and The CBS announced the decision after “careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community, and their partner organizations.”
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks,” the statement read.
The new covid-19 variant is rapidly growing and spreading across the globe. India alone reported nearly 90,000 active Omicron cases within the last 24 hours.
Concerned about the people associated with the event, the statement said, “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remain our top priority.”
“We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon,” the statement further added.
The Grammys was held on March 14 instead of January 31, 2021, last year.
Top award contenders for the 2022 show include Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Brandi Carlile, Bruno Mars, and Silk Sonic. Meanwhile, previous year’s host, Trevor Noah, is roped in to host the Grammys again this year.
The decision to postpone comes weeks after the Sundance Film Festival cancelled the offline event scheduled for Thursday, January 20 onwards and announced to shift the festival online.
(Avya Mathur)
