Omicron Concerns: Grammys Postponed, Sundance Film Festival Goes Virtual

The omicron variant of the coronavirus – the coronavirus itself – has made the Sundance Film Festival go virtual and the Grammys postponed. The omicron variant is not as lethal as the coronavirus as we know it, but the variant is no less destabilizing for many industries, including music.

The music awards gala for the Grammys was scheduled for January 31, but in a statement yesterday (Wednesday, January 5), the organizers informed the world of the postponement of the event, citing the “uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant” of Covid-19.

Describes as the most transmissible of all variants of COVID-19, the omicron variant accounts for more than 90 percent of all cases in the United States this January.

The Recording Academy, the body behind the Grammys, noted that it was way too risky to stick to the January 31 date while promising to announce a new date soon.

The sentiment is no different from Sundance. Organizers of the festival noted that the event, earlier scheduled for January 2o at Park City, Utah, can no longer hold “despite the most ambitious protocols” because of the omicron.

Now, the Sundance Film Festival fans will have to watch the event on their TVs and smart devices.