Covid-19: Emmy Awards Ceremony Move Outdoors

The Emmy Awards ceremony for achievement in television was moved outdoors on Tuesday due to rising concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sept. 19 ceremony in Los Angeles was earlier on take place indoors before a limited celebrity audience.

The rising numbers of infections from the Delta variant in Los Angeles have caused the authorities to reimpose the wearing of masks in all indoor public settings and businesses last month.

“The Television Academy and CBS have decided to host all ceremonies … on the Event Deck at L.A. LIVE, directly behind the Microsoft Theater,” the Television Academy said in a statement.

The Event Deck in downtown Los Angeles is an outdoor space that includes a large tented area.

The statement said the changes followed discussions with Los Angeles County health and safety experts.

It added there would be further limits on the numbers of those invited to the show, including those nominated for the highest honors in U.S. television.

Emmy Awards last year took place in an empty studio with nominees from around the world joining on video screens from their homes and gardens.

S.S/Reuters