For the second year in a row, the 64th Grammy Awards have been pushed back by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the organisers said the 64th annual ceremony, which was set for Jan. 31 in Los Angeles, will be rescheduled as the Omicron variant has led to a surge in cases nationwide.
“After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show.
“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 remains our top priority.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon,” the statement said.
Last year’s show was postponed by six weeks as cases spiked, and before vaccinations were widely available. Last week, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, predicted that the latest wave of the pandemic may reach its peak in the United States by the end of January.
Nominations for the awards were announced on November 23 last year.
The nominations were selected from projects released between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021.
The Recording Academy has not announced a new date for its 64th annual show.
