Grammys postponed, while Sundance goes online, citing risks from Omicron coronavirus variant
- The Grammys were originally expected to return to the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on January 31, complete with a live audience and performances
- This could be the start of another round of award-show rescheduling, with the Screen Actors Guild Awards planned for February and the Academy Awards for March
The upcoming Grammy Awards were postponed on Wednesday due to what organisers called “too many risks” due to the Omicron coronavirus variant. No new date has been announced.
The ceremony had been scheduled for January 31 in Los Angeles with a live audience and performances.
The Recording Academy said it made the decision to postpone the ceremony “after careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners”.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks,” the academy said in a statement.
Last year, like most major awards shows in early 2021, the Grammys were postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
The show was moved from late January to mid-March and held with a spare audience made up of mostly nominees and their guests in and around the Los Angeles Convention Centre.
