The 55th Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, originally set for April 5 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is moving to September following concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. The new date is yet to be determined.

“The ACM Awards is a tentpole event for our Country Music industry, and the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark productions went to great lengths to find a safe solution for the show to go on so that we can honour our artist community,” said ACM CEO Damon Whiteside in a statement released on Sunday (March 15).

“This decision involved many partners, stakeholders and the industry who we have been in constant conversations with over the past several days as the situation has developed. We look forward to identifying a future date that we can celebrate with our Country community safely.”

The news comes four days after the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic and two days after President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a national state of emergency in response to the virus on March 13.

The ACM Awards postponement follows virtually every current tour pushing dates back and Live Nation and AEG recommending a cessation of all touring at least through the end of March, if not beyond.

Additionally, the National Basketball Association, and festivals such as SXSW and Download have either been cancelled or postponed.

On March 11, the ACM Awards, which is produced by Dick Clark productions, stated that it was “closely monitoring the situation along with the MGM team, who are in continuous contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Southern Nevada Health District, and other agencies and experts for guidance.” The same day, they announced its first round of performers, including host Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Lindsay Ell and Ashley McBryde.

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