Despite the global coronavirus pandemic still raging all over the world, the film and entertainment industry is trying its best to come up with a new normal that allows them to continue their activities. The latest industry player to push through with a scheduled event is MTV, who will stage its MTV Video Music Awards this August.
People reports that the award show was given the go signal by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the program focusing on paying homage to the residents of New York City and their resilience, spirit, and strength in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, Barclays Center CEO Oliver Weisberg expressed his excitement at the Barclays Center playing host to the “legendary” award show. Weisberg emphasized the economic effect it would have on Brooklyn, as the staging of the MTV Video Music Awards in the location would require the hiring of local workers.
Of course, holding an event during a pandemic will require precautions to prevent the award show from becoming a coronavirus infection hotspot. TVLine reports that while granular details on what health and safety measures will be in place, MTV assures that the health and safety of fans and artists will be given utmost importance.
According to the network, there will be extensive social distancing procedures in place, capacity limitations, as well as resorting to virtual options whenever possible. The award show is also considering only having a limited audience or no audience at all. MTV also assured everyone that they are coordinating with local and state officials with regards to health and safety.
While MTV is pushing through with the Video Music Awards, the network has rescheduled its Movie and TV Awards to possibly the end of the year rather than holding a virtual edition of it. Last year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards were filmed in Los Angeles and feted movies and television shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Avengers: Endgame, A Star is Born, and Game of Thrones.
If the MTV Video Music Awards pushes through without a hitch or a spike in COVID-19 cases, it might prove to be the new normal for award shows as the global coronavirus pandemic does not show signs of slowing down anytime soon.
According to the World Health Organization’s June 30 situation report, there are now 10,185,374 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. Deaths caused by the disease are now at 503,862 people.
In the United States, the June 30 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 2,581,229. The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in the United States is now at 126,739.