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The new year 2021 has already arrived in some places on the planet. The Pacific islands were the first to see it, reports BTA.
The passage of 2020 was marked by the new coronavirus pandemic, which killed more than 1.8 million people. As a result, New Year celebrations will be much more modest, without the traditional gatherings of thousands of people, and most people will celebrate the New Year at home, AFP notes.
2021 first occurred in Kiribati and Samoa, small islands in the Pacific, at 10:00 Greenwich Mean Time (12:00 Bulgarian time) on December 31. On the other hand, the uninhabited islands of Howland and Baker, US territories also in the Pacific, will meet in 2021 26 hours later.
The New Year arrived in New Zealand at 11 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (1 p.m. Bulgarian time) on December 31. The isolated island country has practically controlled the coronavirus epidemic in its territory and its inhabitants can celebrate with almost no restrictive measures.
New Zealand’s largest city Auckland, one of the few places in the world where people can gather for New Years celebrations, welcomed 2021 with an impressive 6-minute show featuring half a ton of fireworks. In other cities of the island state, there were also similar events with minimal restrictions.
Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, welcomed 2021 at 13:00 GMT (15:00 Bulgarian time) on December 31. The famous New Year’s fireworks in the local bay took place with almost no audience due to restrictions, after a recent coronavirus outbreak was discovered in the northern part of the city with about 150 cases.
This year’s most notable New Year celebrations include the Times Square virtual show in New York and the Jean-Michel Jarre concert in Paris, which includes virtual reality elements, avatars and the decoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.
100,000 policemen and gendarmerie will monitor compliance with the afternoon schedule from 8:00 p.m. in France on New Year’s Eve until 6:00 a.m. on January 1.
According to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen, law enforcement officers are needed to ensure security due to the high level of terrorist threat.
He added that there will be a visible police presence in the city centers and in the suburbs from the beginning of the evening.
People who are outside risk a fine of 135 euros if they do not have a statement proving a valid reason for the violation: work, family assistance or health reasons.
The government recommended that a maximum of 6 people get together for the holidays.
A Berlin police chief said thousands of police officers would monitor compliance with the protest ban and the use of fireworks across much of the German capital on New Year’s Eve, the Associated Press reported.
This week, German courts rejected legal claims against a ban on holding public rallies in Berlin on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the new year imposed by the authorities for the pandemic.
Instead of the annual open-air performance at the Brandenburg Gate, which regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of people, the organizers have planned a virtual event to be seen from home.
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