New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will drastically reduce the number of people allowed into Times Square to attend New Year’s Eve celebrations, amid a spike in new coronavirus infections caused by the highly contagious mutant Omicron.
For the second year in a row, the pandemic has cast a shadow over the festivities that usually attract large crowds to the famous intersection in midtown Manhattan. It organizes entertainment activities that last for hours until a giant crystal ball is dropped at exactly midnight with the start of the new year, which is watched by millions in the world on television screens.
To maintain social distancing, this year the city will allow about a third of the usual number of revelers to enter the dozens of areas designated to follow the celebration surrounded by barriers. Attendees will have to show proof that they have received a full vaccination and put masks.
“The celebration, which usually hosts about 58,000 people in the viewing areas, will this year host about 15,000,” de Blasio said in a statement on Thursday.
In addition, people will be allowed to enter starting around 3 pm local time, which is later than previous years.
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