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After months of live shows being canceled due to the Coronavirus, we are finally getting a glimpse of what an awards show during a global pandemic looks like. The 17th annual ‘Premios Juventud’ (youth awards) is airing tomorrow August 13th 7P/6C on Univision and they are making history.
It is the first live awards show since the Covid-19 crises. Pretty much every major awards show has been postponed except for the ‘BET awards’ that streamed remotely. The ‘summer party’ is being held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The state with the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases behind California. Florida has received a lot of attention for their lack of care during the pandemic and according to CBS, a Florida sheriff has even banned his deputies and visitors from wearing face masks. According to RollingStone officials have reported 62,898 cases and 821 deaths in Broward County, where the Premios Juventud will take place.
© Premios JuventudDespite the scary numbers ‘Premios Juventud’ reportedly has strict safety precautions to protect the performers and staff. There will be no red carpet, and it will be the first time the show has no attendees or audience. In an interview with RollingStone Univision’s senior vice presidents, Ignacio Meyer and Aida Perez (head of global security) explained all the steps they were taking to control the risk of spread.
The performers have smaller dance troupes and their rehearsals all have strict rotating time slots. In between rehearsals, crew members disinfect the stage. Meyer insisted, “everything that we are doing is in full compliance, and I would say in an overabundance of caution, beyond what the local authorities and state and federal authorities have required.” According to Meyer all performers and nominees will only be allowed to have 4 members of their staff for all pre and post-show preparations. The production crew is also less than 20 percent of what they used pre-Covid. Meyer also assured that they are doing contact tracing to handle cases appropriately and testing everyone before they come into the building. Natti Natasha tweeted a video of herself getting one of the tests on August 4th.
© Premios JuventudAs the head of security Perez explained that it will be a mask mandated production except for when they are performing segments during the live show. Despite all eyes being on the awards show Mayer is “proud” to bring “community pride” and believes “we need to celebrate all the positives of this challenging year.”
This year‘s top performers include J Balvin and Pitbull. There will also be a special tribute to Selena including Karol G, Greecie, Natti Natasha, Ally Brooke, and Danna Paola. According to Univision other celebrities we can expect to see are Camilo, Rauw Alejandro, Sebastián Yatra, Llane, Mau y Ricky, and Alex Rose. Many of the singers have already arrived in Florida and Univision posted photos of their rehearsals. Everyone can be seen wearing facemasks on stage.
© Premios JuventudUnivision will also be live-streaming a special preshow on TikTok at 8 pm ET. In the meantime, enjoy our interviews with Yatra and Cali y El Dandee.
