Grammys postponed, Sundance Film Festival virtualized as Covid wrecks havoc at 2022 celebrity events

  • The Grammy Awards and Sundance Film Festival are the latest annual in-person events to be affected by the COVID-19 Omicron variant
  • The Recording Academy stated that they had received sufficient warning to postpone the ceremony.
  • Meanwhile, Sundance made the ‘difficult’ decision to make the 2022 festival completely virtual due to surging coronavirus cases in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • ABC also announced that Grey’s Anatomy has been canceled, The Rookie was canceled and Station 19 is currently being produced.










The Grammy Awards and Sundance Film Festival are the latest in-person events to be affected by the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

A statement published on behalf of the Recording Academy and CBS on Wednesday revealed that the 64th Annual Awards ceremony would be ‘postponed’ out of an abundance of caution.

Meanwhile, Sundance has made the ‘difficult’ decision to make this year’s festival completely virtual due to surging coronavirus cases.

Taking a hit: The Grammy Awards and Sundance are the latest in-person events to be affected by the COVID-19 Omicron variant

Take a big hit: Sundance and the Grammy Awards are two of the most recent in-person events affected by COVID-19 Omicron.

The official announcement states that the Recording Academy (CBS) and CBS had postponed the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Show after careful analysis and consideration with officials from the city and state, as well as health and safety experts and the artists community.

The ceremony that announced the nominations in November was initially scheduled for Monday, 31 January.

It continued, “The safety of the members of our musical community and our live audience as well as the health and safety needs of the many people involved in producing our show are our primary concerns.”

The show being held on January 31st is too risky, given the uncertainty around the Omicron variation. Music’s biggest night will again be held on another date. This announcement will come soon.

Postponed: A statement published on behalf of the Recording Academy and CBS on Wednesday revealed that the 64th Annual Awards ceremony would be 'postponed' out of an abundance of caution

Postponed: A statement published on behalf of the Recording Academy and CBS on Wednesday revealed that the 64th Annual Awards ceremony would be ‘postponed’ out of an abundance of caution

Sundance Film Festival had originally been planned as an in-person event. It lasted 11 days between January 20 and January 30. 

Additionally, strict protocol was implemented. These protocols included proof of vaccination, elimination of concession stands and reduced screen capacity, as well as testing event staff.

Sundance revealed that despite all their efforts and the most ambitious protocols, the Omicron variant’s “unexpectedly high transmissibility levels is pushing the boundaries of safety, travel, and other infrastructures throughout the country.”

Although it was considered a hard decision, the virtualization was made due to the fact that coronavirus cases were expected to peak in Park City, Utah at the Festival’s original scheduled week.

Going virtual: Meanwhile, Sundance has made the 'difficult' decision to make this year's festival completely virtual due to surging coronavirus cases

Going virtual: Meanwhile, Sundance has made the ‘difficult’ decision to make this year’s festival completely virtual due to surging coronavirus cases

Couldn't save it: Despite their best efforts and 'most ambitious protocols,' Sundance announced that the Omicron variant's 'unexpectedly high transmissibility rates is pushing the limits of health safety, travel and other infrastructures across the country'

Couldn’t save it: Despite their best efforts and ‘most ambitious protocols,’ Sundance announced that the Omicron variant’s ‘unexpectedly high transmissibility rates is pushing the limits of health safety, travel and other infrastructures across the country’

“This was an extremely difficult decision. Sundance’s spirit as a nonprofit is to make something happen despite the odds.

The statement stated that “But with the expected peak case numbers in the host community during the festival week, we cannot knowingly place our staff or community at risk,” 

In this environment, it would be reckless to place undue stress on Summit County’s health care system and the 1,500 volunteers and staff members who work there. These days have shown that it is the best decision for our entire community to care for their well-being.

It is an ‘in-person loss’ to be unable to experience the Utah festival, but we don’t believe it is possible to attract thousands of performers, audience members, employees, volunteers, or partners from all over the globe for an eleven-day festival, while already overwhelmed communities struggle to provide basic services.

Although we regret not being able to provide the full hybrid experience, gather in-person, audiences will experience this Festival’s magic and energy with bold new films and original XR work. They’ll also be able to encounter new storytellers and have direct encounters with them. 

“Our partner communities will add a lively dimension to the festival, with a rich mixture of conversations, talent talks and events.

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