The Nobel Foundation, which manages the prestigious Nobel Prizes, says it has canceled the traditional December banquet at the Stockholm City Hall due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lars Heikensten, CEO of the Nobel Foundation, said it is not possible to gather up to 1,300 banquet guests and let them sit next to each other amid the current COVID-19 restrictions. The Nobel Prizes are announced in October but the festivities in December will be severely limited due to the pandemic. The Nobel Peace Prize is announced in Oslo, Norway, while the others are awarded in Stockholm. Heikensten said in a statement: ``Nobel Week will not be as usual due to the current pandemic.

Source: The Standard July 22, 2020 08:48 UTC