COVID-19: Tony Awards postponed to late 2020

The annual Tony Awards ceremony is the latest industry event to be postponed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The event, which honours the year's best theatre and Broadway productions, was set to take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, that has emerged as the epicentre of the COVID-19 in the US.

The deadly coronavirus has infected over 30,000 and claimed the lives of at least 285 people in the state of New York. In a statement, the Tony Award Productions said the June 7 ceremony of the awards will now be held at a later date.

"The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists and fans are of the utmost importance to us. We will announce new dates and additional information once Broadway opens again. We are looking forward to celebrating Broadway and our industry when it is safe to do so," the statement posted on the official website of Tony Awards read.

The award ceremony's cancellations comes days after two Broadway productions -- the revival of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and Martin McDonagh's "Hangmen" --announced they would not resume performances post the shutdown in the US.

Three other productions -- "Flying Over Sunset", "Birthday Candles" and "Caroline, or Change" -- have been pushed to later this year.

The 74th edition of the Tony Awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.