The Sterling Gospel Music Awards (SGMA) joins

the growing list of events which are postponing due to the coronavirus

outbreak, which had its first reported case in Jamaica this week.

The fourth staging of the award ceremony,

which recognises players in the gospel community, was scheduled for March 14 at

the Courtleigh Auditorium in Kingston. The show has been postponed until

further notice, a decision founder and director Basillia Barnaby-Cuff said was

both difficult and easy to make.

“This is all happening 3 days before the

show,” she told BUZZ. “All

the plans were put in place, logistics solidified, payments made, promotions in

high gear…all aimed at a seamless roll out on Saturday. It has been an

intense almost 12 months of planning and coordinating all the necessary

logistics.

“Even though we will suffer losses,

especially where promotions are concerned, we are confident that this is the

absolutely best move for everyone involved.”

She added that it is important for the

organisation to play its role in mitigating the spread of the virus, in light

of Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ press briefing yesterday, where he announced

the ban of social gatherings over the next 14 days.

“We know that this is the wise thing to

do in the interest of the public, and thankfully our sponsors were supportive

of the decision without hesitation,” said Barnaby-Cuff. “Guided by

the Ministry of Health and Wellness, we wanted to ensure that we played our

part in not putting the public at risk.”

Pending the new date, she urged patrons to

retain their tickets.

“All tickets purchased from our certified

locations (York Pharmacy, online: www.spurropen.com and Zan’s Fabric in

Mandeville), remain valid for the new date which will be announced as soon as

this becomes possible,” she said. “In the meantime, we continue to

pray and stay vigilant, while encouraging the public to do the same, via our

social media pages.”