The city refuses to give up its quintessential party, which makes New York the center of attention on the last night of every year.
Not even the fierce wave of omicron can with the mythical New Year’s Eve in Times Square in New York, where “only” 15,000 vaccinated people will meet to welcome 2022, while coronavirus infections have soared in the Big Apple in recent weeks to levels never seen before.
The city refuses to give up its quintessential party, that makes New York the center of attention on the last night of every year, and that this time, moreover, it had been proclaimed as proof that the metropolis that never sleeps has returned to what it was before the pandemic.
“A big celebration and in full force is returning to New York”New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said a month and a half ago when the long-awaited event was announced.
58,000 to 15,000 people
But two weeks from the appointed date, The authorities decided to lower the number of attendees from the 58,000 who normally gather in the square to 15,000 people, all of them compulsorily vaccinated and wearing a mask, and although this is a substantial decrease, it continues to clearly go against what the experts recommend.
“If your plans are to go to a New Year’s Eve party of 40 or 50 people (…) with everyone kissing and hugging and wishing each other a happy new year, I would highly recommend that this year not be done,” he told two days from December 31, the chief epidemiologist of the US Government, Anthony Fauci.
Even so, New York has already welcomed the large luminous figures that will welcome 2022 and the huge sphere of more than 5,400 kilos that descends from the mast located at number 1, Times Square.
It has even held an event to rehearse the launch of the nearly 1,400 kilos of confetti that fall on Times Square in less than a minute.
Times Square prepares to celebrate the arrival of 2022
Counterflow
The city of skyscrapers, which became one of the epicenters of the coronavirus in the first months of the pandemic and was hit hard, does not seem to fear a new wave of cases, and has ignored the annulments decided by other large citiessuch as Tokyo, Paris, London or Rome, which have canceled New Year’s Eve celebration events.
“We lead vaccinations, we have reopened safely, and every day we work to achieve a recovery for everyone,” explained De Blasio about his decision to go ahead with the event, in which in addition to vaccines and masks and it is recommended to save a certain social distancing among the 15,000 attendees.
“There is much to celebrate, and additional safety measures will keep the vaccinated public safe as we welcome the new year,” added the outgoing mayor, that he will precisely leave his post at midnight on December 31.
Police run out of vacation
But just over 48 hours before New Year’s Eve, the number of daily coronavirus positives was skyrocketing to 70,000 in a single day in New York state, more than double the previous record.
A marked presence of the virus that is behind the new order of the New York Police, which has prohibited its agents from taking vacations on the last day of 2021 and the first of 2022 due to a shortage of personnel caused by new infections.
In the rest of the New York state, they have chosen to cancel various celebrations, including in the towns of Westchester, White Plains, Yorktown or Peekskill. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
