New York City's annual New Year's Eve festivities in Times Square will be scaled back because of Covid-19 safety concerns, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday, with holiday celebrations in other places being curtailed or canceled entirely because of the surge in omicron cases nationwide.
The New Year's Eve Ball is held in New York City in 2021. Noam Galai is the photographer.
The images are from the same company.
In order to allow for social separation, only 15,000 people will be allowed to watch the ball drop from the viewing areas, instead of the usual 58,000.
They will be allowed in at 3 p.m., which is later than in the past.
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All attendees would have to show proof of vaccination with a photo ID. Times Square was closed to the public last year because of the Pandemic. The status of this year's festivities was uncertain until Thursday's announcement, given that many city restaurants and holiday shows have shuttered recently because of the omicron coronaviruses variant.
Fox was the first network to announce it was canceling its Times Square New Year's coverage due to the variant's spread.
New Year's Eve in Times Square will be scaled back, with just 15,000 fully-Vaccinated and masked spectators.
The Times Square New Year's Eve celebration will be scaled back.
The New Year's Eve Toast & Roast has been canceled by Fox.
The Times Square ball drop was affected by the coronaviruses.
The Times Square Ball Drop was the beginning of it.
