New York’s famous New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square is shrinking drastically due to the pandemic.
the essentials in brief
- Number of participants reduced from 58,000 to 15,000.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that instead of around 58,000 people as usual, only 15,000 are allowed on the square this year – there is also a mask and vaccination certificate. The additional safety measures “will ensure that the fully vaccinated amount heralds the new year safely and healthily,” said de Blasio.
Last year, Times Square was largely empty on New Year’s Eve. Only employees from critical services and invited guests could be there live, subject to strict distance rules, when a gigantic luminous sphere was lowered from a pole on the roof of the skyscraper “One Times Square”. The over 100-year-old tradition of the “Ball Drop” countdown to the New Year is one of the highlights of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the USA.
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