COVID-19 casts a shadow over New Years celebrations, again

COVID-19 will stifle New Years celebrations around the world for the second year in a row, as governments in many countries have cut holiday times and capacities in an effort to contain a rampant wave of infections.

Global coronavirus infections hit a record in the past seven days, with nearly a million cases detected on average each day between December 23 and 29, some 100,000 more than the previous high unveiled on Wednesday, according to Reuters data.

Numerous nations recorded all-time highs in cases during the previous 24 hours, including Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, U.S, France and Italy, while the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly.

Although studies have suggested that it is less deadly than some previous variants, many health authorities prefer not to take risks and told people that the best way to celebrate the arrival of 2022 was at home and with very few guests, preferably all vaccinated.

In Europe, where nearly a million people have died from coronavirus in the past 12 months, traditional concerts and fireworks shows have been canceled in most major cities, including London, Paris, Zurich, Brussels, Warsaw and Rome. .

Indian authorities began imposing strict rules on Thursday to avoid mass gatherings, with nightly curfews in all major cities and restaurants under orders to limit customers.

“Social gatherings are being seen to be held in an unrestricted manner with people disobeying all social distancing rules,” said Rajesh Tope, health minister for the western state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital.

Mass cancellations

Earlier this week, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged people to reconsider party plans. “It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and cry later,” he said.

Yet despite increasing cases, some venues continue to move forward with their event plans, including Sydney, the first major city to usher in the New Year, which displays spectacular fireworks over the Opera House and Harbor Bridge.

Last year, the government banned crowds from attending fireworks, when the number of cases was below 100, compared to more than 12,000 new infections reported Thursday.

Similarly, New York said it would hold its party in Times Square, albeit in a scaled-down version, with far fewer people being allowed to watch an iconic gigantic ball fall off a pole to mark the arrival of 2022.

American infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that family gatherings where everyone was vaccinated should go smoothly, but cautioned that large-scale parties remain too dangerous.