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The countries of the world began to receive the new year, this Thursday, before the restrictions to limit the spread of the new Corona virus, relaxing its weight in the celebrations of billions of people eager to say goodbye to the year 2020 that marked the pandemic.
After a difficult year in which at least 1.7 million people died from the Covid-19 epidemic, new mutations have caused the re-imposition of isolation measures and have forced night watchmen to continue with a habit. they did in 2020, which is to follow the activities from home.
The first hours of the year 2021, highly anticipated in the Pacific states of Kiribati and Samoa, are at 10:00 GMT, while the uninhabited islands of Howland and Baker will be the last areas to receive the new year after 26 hours.
It was followed by New Zealand, which won international praise for its handling of the Corona virus, an hour later, and large crowds gathered in Auckland for a fireworks display.
Although the Pacific islands have not suffered the worst consequences of the epidemic, border restrictions, curfews, isolation measures and closures make New Year’s Eve different this year.
In Sydney, Australia’s largest city, light shows lit up the harbor with a dazzling display at 13:00 GMT, but few people attended the event.
Plans to allow crowds were canceled after an outbreak of around 150 new infections was recorded, prompting severe restrictions on travel to and from Sydney.
Karen Roberts was one of the few people allowed to cross established checkpoints in the area. “I think everyone looks forward to 2021 as a new beginning and a new beginning,” he told AFP at a bar overlooking the Sydney Opera House.
Tight curfew
In Hong Kong, despite restrictions, some ventured to celebrate the start of the year 2021 and gathered near Victoria Harbor to take selfies.
In Tokyo, where residents face the possibility of imposing a state of emergency after registering 1,300 cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, people lined up and donned masks to perform New Year’s prayers.
In the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first appeared late last year, thousands of people gathered to celebrate the new year, and Taipei also celebrated with crowds who turned out to watch the fireworks.
In other places, however, the atmosphere was more pessimistic.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin admitted in a New Year’s speech that the second wave of the epidemic was hitting the country hard.
“Unfortunately, we have not yet completely eradicated the epidemic. The battle continues unabated,” he said.
Italy, where horrific images of makeshift morgues and doctors exhausted the world have been awakened by the severity of the crisis, is subject to nationwide lockdown measures until January 7, with a curfew starting at 10 pm.
From France to Latvia to Brazil, police and sometimes military personnel are deployed to ensure that the curfew or ban on assemblies are respected in large numbers.
In London’s worst-damaged, 74-year-old American singer-songwriter Patty Smith will mark the New Year by honoring National Health Service workers who have passed away from the Covid-19 epidemic, in a screening broadcast in Piccadilly Square and streamed on YouTube.
Social gatherings
And in Dubai, thousands of residents are expected to see a display of fireworks and lasers at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, despite new cases of the virus.
All attendees, whether in public areas or in hotels or restaurants, must wear masks and register through a barcode (QR).
In Beirut, which is still trying to overcome the disaster of the August 4 port explosion, authorities have also relaxed measures.
The curfew was delayed until 3 in the morning. Bars, restaurants and discos have reopened with the announcement of great parties to mark the new year.
Images and videos of crowded clubs and restaurants are spreading on social media, prompting authorities to warn of the possibility of imposing new closures after the holidays.
On the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia, where temperatures reach -35 degrees Celsius, about a dozen Russians took part in an ice dive on New Year’s Eve.
The swimmers, known in Russia as the “seashell,” ran for miles through a snowy forest in swimsuits and festive costumes before plunging into the world’s largest freshwater lake.
Andre Bougay told AFP after getting out of the water that it was a stimulant. Take a bite. “
“It will make you feel ten years younger,” added Ksenia Novoseltseva, another swimmer, with a wide smile.
In her wishes for the new year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned citizens that the “historic” emerging coronavirus crisis could continue into 2021, even with the hope that vaccines carry.
In Brazil, which has registered more than 193,000 deaths from Covid-19, making it the second country most affected by the epidemic in the world, frightened medical teams await a new wave.
In recent days, social media platforms have been filled with videos showing people without masks or masks enjoying a night out, and TV channels have shown scenes of police officers closing crowded bars.
“The epidemic reached its peak between May and July, when there were not many movements and we take better care of ourselves. Now there are many cases and people are behaving as if there was no pandemic,” said the microbiologist from the University of São Paulo Luiz Gustavo de Almeida.
