Berit Reiss-Andersen, left, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, gives a speech during the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the city hall in Oslo on Dec 10, 2019. (PHOTO / AFP)

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is planning to hold a dramatically pared down version of its annual award ceremony for the peace prize this year, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Dec 10 ceremony, which marks the day that Alfred Nobel died in 1896, will be moved from Oslo City Hall to a smaller venue at the University of Oslo, Norwegian broadcaster NRK said. Only about 100 guests will be allowed to attend, compared with the roughly 1,000 that have traditionally been invited

The Dec 10 ceremony, which marks the day that Alfred Nobel died in 1896, will be moved from Oslo City Hall to a smaller venue at the University of Oslo, Norwegian broadcaster NRK said. Only about 100 guests will be allowed to attend, compared with the roughly 1,000 that have traditionally been invited.

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The committee has also canceled the traditional banquet that has always been a fixture of the ceremony, and has contingency plans in place should the laureate only be able to attend virtually.

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This year’s peace prize will be announced on Oct. 9. The award, along with prizes in literature, physics and medicine, was first handed out in 1901. Last year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won for his efforts to resolve the border dispute with neighboring Eritrea.