![]() Officials required those attending the spectacle would have to wear masks and show proof of vaccination. New York City reported a record number of new, confirmed cases - nearly 44,000 - on Wednesday and a similar number Thursday, according to New York state figures. have soared to their highest levels on record at over 265,000 per day on average. Times Square is often referred to as the crossroads of the world, and city officials insisted on holding the marquee New Year’s Eve event to demonstrate the city’s resiliency even amid a resurgence of the coronavirus.īut 2022 begins just as the year prior began - with the pandemic clouding an already uncertain future.ĭoubts swirled about whether the city would have to cancel this year’s bash, as the city posted record numbers of COVID-19 cases in the days leading to it, even as some cities like Atlanta had decided to cancel their own celebrations.ĬOVID-19 cases in the U.S. The annual ball drop took place as the clock ticked into midnight and ushered in the new year, an occasion usually commemorated with the uncorking of Champagne, clinking of pints, joyous embraces and renewed hope for better times ahead. “We hope that 2022 is much better than this year.” “I’m happy that 2021 is over because it caused a lot of problems for everybody,” said Gonzalez, who was visiting from Mexico City and wanted to take in an American tradition. Mary Gonzalez stood a few feet behind a crowd, wanting to keep her distance from anyone unwittingly carrying the virus. Confetti lit up by electronic billboards swirled in a light wind on a mild winter night in New York City. Though the crowds were smaller, the throngs nevertheless stretched for blocks to soak in the celebration, with many traveling from afar to take part. It did so as an uneasy nation tried to muster optimism that the worst days of the pandemic are now behind it - even as public health officials cautioned Friday against unbridled celebrations amid surging COVID-19 infections from the omicron variant. ![]() ![]() The new year marched across the globe, time zone by time zone, and thousands of New Year’s revelers stood shoulder to shoulder in a slight chill to witness a six-ton ball, encrusted with nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals, descend above a crowd of about 15,000 in-person spectators - far fewer than the many tens of thousands of revelers who usually descend on the world-famous square to bask in the lights and hoopla of the nation’s marquee New Year’s Eve event. NEW YORK - New York City welcomed the new year - and bid good riddance to 2021 - as confetti and cheers spread across Times Square as a New Year’s Eve tradition returned to a city beleaguered by a global pandemic. People gather during New Year's Eve celebrations at Times Square in New York City on New Year's Eve. ![]()
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