This year's Grammy Awards have been postponed by six weeks due to the worrying surge in coronavirus cases.
The ceremony had been on track to be held on January 31, albeit from several locations around Los Angeles rather than its usual home of the Staples Center.
More than 27,000 people in California have now died due to COVID-19, however, running at a rate of around 300 to 400 new deaths every day.
As a result the Grammys have been pushed back to March 14, with organisers saying in a statement: "After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 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.
"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."
This year's Oscars have already been pushed back from February to April as a result of coronavirus, while the BAFTAs have also been rescheduled for April and the Brit Awards have been postponed by three months to May.
Neil Wilkes
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