The organizers of the Grammy Awards have in a statement released on social media announced that it has postponed the 2021 Grammy Awards to March this year.
In the announcement, it was revealed that the show that was originally scheduled for January 31 will now hold on March 14th.
Citing “thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear,” the Recording Academy confirmed that they’ll stage the award in the first quarter of 2021.
“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,” the Recording Academy and CBS, the network broadcasting the show, said in a statement. “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. We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times.”
The postponement is coming just a day after SAG-AFTRA — the union representing actors and other industry professionals — and the Producers’ Guild recommended a “temporary hold on in-person production.”
“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 on Monday.