With Omicron, fewer crowds and masks for the New Year in Times Square

In the face of a very sharp increase in coronavirus infections, the traditional New Year’s party in Times Square will take place at reduced capacities and with a mandatory mask, announced Thursday at New York City Hall, where event cancellations are increasing.

Moment emblématique de la capitale culturelle américaine, qui a lieu depuis le début du XXe siècle, la boule sur tradition Times Tower et le lâcher de confettis avaient eu lieu dans une place vide en 2020, à me cause de la tri qui avadém New York.

For 2021, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised crowds returning in mid-November with compulsory vaccination. But a month later, Times Square had yet to make plans.

15,000 spectators can be accommodated in the reserved spaces, compared to the usual 58,000. In addition, the audience will have to wear a mask, even though the party takes place outdoors.

Against the backdrop of the arrival of the Omicron variant, New York City, with a population of nearly 9 million, is facing a sharp rise in pollution, with 11,000 new cases recorded Wednesday, according to the mayor. But vaccination allows at this point to avoid a large influx of patients to hospitals as was the case in the spring of 2020, when the city was hit hard.

However, many restaurants and performance venues, which have been affected by COVID cases on teams, have had to temporarily close. After several Broadway plays and musicals, the New York City Ballet had to announce a hiatus on Wednesday from the performance of the popular The Nutcracker.

At least 34,000 New Yorkers have lost their lives since the spring of 2020, and the city, and especially Manhattan, has yet to recover its legendary fizz before the health crisis.