Emmy Awards to be held outdoors due to COVID-19 concerns

The Emmy Awards ceremony forachievement in television was moved outdoors on Tuesday in thelatest setback to live events because of rising concerns overthe coronavirus pandemic.

The Sept. 19 ceremony in Los Angeles was initially due totake place indoors before a limited celebrity audience.

"The Television Academy and CBS have decided to host allceremonies on the Event Deck at L.A. LIVE, directly behindthe Microsoft Theater," the Television Academy said in astatement.

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

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

It also said there would be further limits on the numbers ofthose invited to the show, including those nominated for the highest honours in U.S. television.

"Unfortunately, this means not all nominees will be able toattend this year's awards," the organizers said.

Los Angeles last monthreimposed the wearing of masks in allindoor public settings and businesses because of rising numbersof coronavirus infections in the second-largest city in theUnited States.

Last year's Emmy Awards took place in an empty studio withnominees from around the world joining on video screens fromtheir homes and gardens.

Concerns over the delta variant of the virus on Tuesdayprompted singer Stevie Nicks, 73, to cancel five concerts she had scheduled for 2021.

"While I'm vaccinated, at my age, I am still being extremelycautious and for that reason have decided to skip the fiveperformances I had planned for 2021," the former Fleetwood Macmusician wrote on Twitter.

The New Orleans Jazz Festival, due to take place in earlyOctober, was cancelled on Monday because of rising cases ofcoronavirus in Louisiana.