NEW YORK (AP) — Subsequent week’s New Yr’s Eve celebration in Occasions Sq. will nonetheless go on, simply not with as many revelers as ordinary due to COVID-19, Mayor Invoice de Blasio introduced Thursday.
Viewing areas that usually accommodate about 58,000 individuals shall be restricted to about 15,000 to permit for extra distancing, and everybody in attendance should present proof of vaccination and put on a masks.
The modifications had been made because the Huge Apple grapples with a spike in virus circumstances, fueled by the speedy unfold of the omicron variant. On Tuesday, the town set a one-day report with 17,200 new circumstances.
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The surge has led to the cancellation of live shows, sporting occasions and Broadway exhibits, however de Blasio has proven a robust choice for having the annual Occasions Sq. ball drop go on as deliberate.
Little greater than a month in the past, de Blasio gleefully introduced {that a} absolutely vaccinated crowd of tons of of 1000’s of individuals can be again on the iconic celebration after it was restricted final yr to small teams of important staff. However that was earlier than omicron caught hearth.
De Blasio stated Thursday that the town is monitoring the scenario and can announce extra precautions if wanted. Among the many different modifications introduced Thursday, revelers received’t be allowed into viewing areas till 3 p.m., a lot later than in previous years.
On New Yr’s Eve final yr, Occasions Sq. was largely empty, with Jennifer Lopez and different artists performing behind police barricades to small teams made up of important staff.
After vaccines turned extensively accessible within the U.S., the town allowed crowds again to the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and different occasions.