KATHMANDU: The MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) is set to become the first major awards show since the coronavirus pandemic to occur in a physical venue — it will take place in New York on August 30.

According to MTV and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the VMA show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn would follow safety guidelines and would have limited capacity or no audience.

Award shows traditionally feature large numbers of performers, guests, audiences and stage crews, and have been relegated to online or prerecorded events since the pandemic shut down theater, music and other live shows in mid-March, according to Reuters

On the August 30 event, some VMA performances would take place at unspecified New York landmarks and that social distancing and limits on capacity would be enforced at the 19,000-seat indoor venue.

It was not clear how many performances would be live. MTV said in a statement that details and potential options for the show would come later based on the science and data in New York.

Reuters added, the VMA traditionally features live performance from music’s biggest stars and is one of the biggest annual events on the awards calendar. Performers and nominations for the August ceremony have yet to be announced.