With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in South Korea, the government decided to strengthen its health protocol implementation and upgraded its social distancing protocol to level 2.5.

The social distancing level 2.5 is a strengthened health protocol that will be applied to the upcoming Seoul International Drama Awards event. The organizing committee has decided to change the format of the event to protect the safety of participants and strengthen community quarantine efforts.

Chairman Sung Jae Park of the organizing committee of the Seoul International Drama Awards declared that the ceremony would push through with a non-face-to-face policy due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The awards ceremony was initially planned to be held with a live broadcast on September 10 without the audience and only the presenters in attendance.

However, it was now replaced to be a recorded broadcast and was moved to air on September 15th, and both presenters and winners will not be present in the awards ceremony.

The organizing committee will be the one to hand over the trophies to local and overseas winners personally. And the winners will share their speech through a recorded video presentation to be viewed by the fans worldwide. Of course, we wouldn't want to miss the celebratory performances, yes! It will push through to create a more happy and lively atmosphere for the said event.

The strict social distancing policy will still be followed by the performers and onsite staff. Rules have been given, and all should abide by it. The performers and crew will not be permitted to gather at a place all at the same time since their safety is the number 1 priority. It is going to be a team by team basis. There will be a few assigned personnel present at a specific time to assist each team.

The 15th Seoul International Drama Awards (2020) will be broadcasted on the MBC network at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on September 15th (Tuesday). The awarding ceremony will also be aired on "wavve" in South Korea. On the other hand, fans form the overseas may also watch the recording on MBC drama's official YouTube channel.

The Seoul International Drama Awards also known as SDA, is a yearly event that occurs in Seoul, South Korea, this ceremony honors excellence in television drama productions worldwide. The said awarding ceremony is hosted by the Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee and the Korean Broadcasters Association which was founded in the year 2006. This year marks the 15th year of celebration.

Although there is a considerable impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, still a total of 212 entries from 41 different countries have been submitted for the competition, which proves that the Seoul International Drama Awards is a renowned drama festival. The Grand Prize will be awarded to the drama with the most exceptional artistry, originality, and popularity among the listed categories such as TV Movie, Mini-Series, Serial Drama, and Short-Form.