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2020 CMA Awards: Maskless country music stars slammed amid Covid-19 surge, viewers call them 'irresponsible'

One viewer posted, 'Maybe I’m just a Karen these days but would it kill them to wear masks in the audience'

The 2020 Country Music Association Awards is touted to be the first prominent event since the beginning of the pandemic that has been televised with a live audience in attendance. Speaking about their decision to organize the event with the audience members and stars under the same roof, CMA chief executive officer Sarah Trahern stated "although the show will feel a bit more intimate this year, we look forward to hosting our nominated artists and their guests as we celebrate the best of country music in a fully safe and physically distant environment. It will be an honor to bring the biggest country stars in the world together – in one room – for the first time this year. You won’t want to miss it!"

But as the event is underway, more and more fans have been pointing out that the country music stars are not wearing masks setting a dangerous precedent. One viewer tweeted, "Maybe I’m just a Karen these days but would it kill them to wear masks in the audience #CMAawards" while another said, "So were the attendees tested for covid before they could get in tonight? Or did they have their temperatures taken? Because no one is wearing masks & I’m about to go save Reba from that Petri dish of covid. #CMAawards"

Pointing out the same, another viewer wrote, "Are the #CMAAwards really holding an actual live award show, with people not wearing masks, in the middle of a COVID-19 surge and record hospitalizations? How irresponsible," while another said, "Why aren’t any of the attendees sitting at the tables not wearing masks? It’s bad enough you’re having an award show inside with a lot of people. Nashville and Tennessee’s Covid stats are going in the wrong direction. #CMAawards" Expressing similar sentiments, another user wrote, "Talked to one #CMAawards artist who said all artists in attendance must wear masks when not performing. She believed they would be issued masks, so no individuality"

The event, being held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, is underway at a time when there are 3,812,554 active cases on Covid-19 in US. It has, to date, caused the deaths of 247,397 people. In Tennessee, over 3,726 people have died of Covid-19 and at least 288,280 people have been infected when this article was published.