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China and New Zealand are largely devoid of new corona infections and have already celebrated New Year’s Eve without restrictions. Many countries, on the other hand, are preparing for a quiet night with sometimes strict rules.
Farewell to the Corona 2020 year should be easy for many people, even if the celebrations around the world are very different. While New Year’s Eve celebrations are only possible to a very limited extent in most countries, the celebrations in New Zealand were similar to every year.
Music festivals and fireworks shows were held with no restrictions on the number of visitors or other crown restrictions. The country has not had any local cases of corona for more than a month. In Auckland there was a light show around Harbor Bridge and Sky Tower, followed by a five-minute fireworks show at midnight. One of the biggest New Year’s Eve events is the three-day Rhythm and Vines music festival, which takes place near the town of Gisborne, in the northeast of the North Island.
China: Celebrate without restrictions
Because, according to official information, there are hardly any infections in China, the new year has also started in the People’s Republic without major restrictions. At midnight, fireworks went off in some cities, including Wuhan, the city of the first corona outbreak. However, New Year’s Eve is not a particularly important holiday in China. According to the traditional lunar calendar, the new year doesn’t start until February.
The usual fireworks display also took place next to the tall Taipei 101 skyscraper in neighboring Taiwan, which has reported just seven deaths and 700 confirmed infections since the pandemic began.
Fireworks in Sydney, no spectators
A different image emerged in Sydney, Australia, which ushered in the year 2021 ten hours earlier than Central Europe. Instead of the usual big New Year’s Eve celebration in the harbor, this year there was only one seven-minute show, with almost no audience.
Usually the show attracts more than a million people each year. This year the area around the port was cordoned off and the popular parks were closed. From the outside, only those who had a restaurant reservation or were one of the five allowed guests of a local resident could enter central Sydney.
The authorities had previously announced that they would punish anyone who tried to break through the barriers in the port area with a fine of A $ 1,000 (about 626 euros). That apparently worked: Sydney was like a ghost town the closer the New Year approached, watchers said.
New Year’s Eve was also quietly celebrated in Japan this year. Due to a new record number of new corona infections in Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike asked residents to spend the New Year with family and stay home.
Crown restrictions in many countries
Many countries can look forward to an equally uneventful end of the year. Due to the corona pandemic, many parties and fireworks were canceled, for example in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Amsterdam and London. In metropolises such as Berlin, Rome and Istanbul, the police control the existing exit restrictions and bans in large numbers.
In Italy, for example, there are severe exit restrictions. Between 10 p.m. on New Years Eve and 7 a.m. on New Years morning, the 60 million citizens are even prohibited from going out with only a few exceptions. The government has banned the parties. A maximum of two adult guests from another household are allowed to sit at the table for New Years Eve dinner. Stricter exit rules also apply in Turkey.
There is also a curfew in Paris. But there will be an online concert of Jean-Michel Jarre as an avatar on the virtual backdrop of Notre-Dame Cathedral and a pre-recorded donation livestream with star DJ David Guetta in front of the Louvre pyramid.
In New York, the traditional “Ball Drop” in Times Square, a sparkling crystal ball that falls onto a pole, is said to take place in front of a few people instead of the usual thousands.
It will take a total of 26 hours (11 am CET on December 31 to 1 pm CET on January 1) for everyone to slide into the New Year. Lastly, there are the uninhabited islands of Baker Island and Howland Island.
