NEW YORK (AFP).- The Grammy awards celebrating music slated for January 31 in Los Angeles have been postponed until March due to Covid-19, which has been rapidly spreading in California.

The Recording Academy behind the gala did not immediately respond to AFP inquiries but updated the events listing on its website, setting the ceremony's new date as March 21.

The 63rd annual ceremony's delay comes less than a month before it was set to take place in the shadow of the pandemic, which has dealt devastating blows to the music industry.

The organization had said the show set for late January would be mostly virtual, but had not released specific plans.

Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and rapper Roddy Ricch are the top nominees at the normally star-studded gala. Comedian Trevor Noah was set to host the 2021 show, and it wasn't immediately clear if that was still the plan.

The nominations were rolled out late last year by stars across the globe speaking via video chat. Other awards shows, like the Emmys and the Latin Grammys, have been forced to go partially or fully virtual in light of pandemic restrictions on large gatherings.

The Oscars meanwhile are due to take place April 25, eight weeks later than previously scheduled.

Los Angeles is now among the centers of the coronavirus pandemic, with hospitals reeling from record cases and residents under a stay-at-home order.

The southern California surge follows Thanksgiving and the holiday season, with reports of oxygen rationing and patients forced to spend hours waiting in ambulances for beds to open.


© Agence France-Presse