The Grammy music awards slated for January 31 in Los Angeles have been postponed until March over Covid-19, which has been rapidly spreading in California.

The Recording Academy released a statement saying it rescheduled the show to March 14, a week earlier than the date briefly listed on its website.

“The deteriorating Covid situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” organisers said.

“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”