Revelers will celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 31, 2021 in Times Square, New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)

New York City ushered in the New Year and bid farewell to 2021. With the New Year’s Eve tradition returning to this city ravaged by the global pandemic, confetti and cheers swept Times Square.

In time zone, thousands of New Year’s Eve celebrations stood side by side in the cold, and saw a 6-ton sphere inlaid with nearly 2,700 Watford crystals, falling on about 15,000 people. Far fewer than thousands of night owls.

They usually go down to world-famous squares and immerse themselves in the lights and excitement of New Year’s Eve activities in large tents across the country.

Authorities warned on Friday that the celebrations will continue to expand as the COVID19 infection rate of the Omicron variant rises. Due to the pandemic, last year’s pitching event was closed to the public.

As the ball fell, the streets filled with euphoria, and Maya Scharm, a visiting dog trainer from New Jersey, felt that 2021 was slipping away. His partner Brandon Allen said: “This is a sign of return to normal,” he said a few minutes after midnight this year.

We already have this sense of stability. We know what happened. There is a new breed that is popular now, but we seem to have gone through two years every year.

On a mild winter night in New York City, in the breeze, confetti lit by electronic billboards hovered in. Mary Gonzalez stood a few meters behind the crowd, trying to keep her distance from anyone who accidentally carried the virus.

“I’m very happy that 2021 is over, because it has caused a lot of problems for everyone,” said Gonzalez, who is from Mexico City and wants to enjoy American traditions. “We hope that 2022 will be much better than this year.

The annual ball takes place when the bell strikes at midnight and the New Year rings. People usually commemorate this by opening bottles of champagne, clinking pints, joyous hugs, and new hopes for a good time at the crossroads of the world and the city. event. Officials insist on holding New Year’s Eve events to show the city’s resilience even in the face of the return of the coronavirus, but 2022 will begin just like the year before, and the pandemic has cast a shadow over an already uncertain future.

The question is whether the city must cancel this year’s party, because although some cities such as Atlanta have decided to cancel their own celebrations, the number of COVID-19 cases in the city hit a record high in the previous few days. They have risen to the highest level ever, averaging more than 265,000 per day. New York City reported a record number of new confirmed cases on Wednesday and the same year, close to 44,000.

According to New York State, officials require tourists to provide masks and proof of vaccination. Organizers initially expected more than 50,000 celebraters, but due to widespread infections, the plan has been cut drastically.