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Paris: Countries of the world ring in the new year on Friday in light of restrictions to limit the spread of the new Corona virus, which weighed heavily on the celebrations of billions of people who were eager to bid farewell 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.
Large crowds gathered in New Zealand, which has been internationally acclaimed for its handling of the Coronavirus, to watch a fireworks display.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization granted its first emergency approval since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic for the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine, in a move that would pave the way for countries that want to use the vaccine quickly, according to a statement from the UN agency.
“This is a very positive step to ensure that everyone in the world has access to vaccines against the Covid-19 virus,” said Mariangela Simao, head of access to medicines at the World Health Organization.
The first hours of 2021 in the Pacific states of Kiribati and Samoa are at 10:00 GMT.
New Zealand, which has earned international recognition for its handling of the Coronavirus, followed an hour later, and large crowds gathered in Auckland to watch a fireworks display.
The uninhabited islands of Howland and Baker will be the last places to welcome in the new year.
Although the Pacific islands were not affected by the worst repercussions of the epidemic, border restrictions, curfews, isolation measures and closures made New Year’s Eve 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 to gather were canceled after an outbreak of around 150 new infections was recorded, prompting severe restrictions on travel to and from Sydney.
In New York City, where Times Square is often full of jubilant people for the New Year, Manhattan has been cordoned off and revelers are encouraged to watch the televised countdown from their homes.
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.
– Tighter curfews –
In New York City, where Times Square is often full of jubilant New Years, Manhattan has been cordoned off and revelers are encouraged to watch the televised countdown from their homes.
And the United States is the country most affected by the pandemic. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said 2020 was “the most difficult year in New York’s history,” and promised that “in January, we will vaccinate one million New Yorkers.”
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 eliminated the epidemic,” he said. The battle continues unabated.
Italy, where the horrific images of the world’s makeshift morgues and exhausted doctors have been awakened by the severity of the crisis, is subject to nationwide lockdown measures until January 7, with a curfew beginning at 10 pm.
From France to Latvia to Brazil, police and sometimes military personnel have been 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 commemorated the New Year by honoring National Health Service workers who died from the Covid-19 epidemic, in a broadcast on a screen in Piccadilly Square. and a live broadcast on YouTube.
After half a century of integration into the European Union, at 23:00 local time and GMT (midnight on Thursday, Friday in Brussels) and at Big Ben, Brexit became fully operational. As of January 1, the UK will stop implementing EU rules.
– Social meetings –
In Dubai, thousands of residents watched a fireworks and laser display at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, despite new HIV infections.
All attendees, whether in public areas or in hotels or restaurants, had to 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 were released 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 “shell,” ran for miles through a snowy forest in swimsuits and festive costumes before plunging into the world’s largest freshwater lake.
“It’s a stimulant,” Andre Bougay told AFP after coming out of the water. Take a bite. “
“This will make you feel ten years younger,” added Ksenia Novoseltseva, another swimmer, with a wide smile.
In her wishes for the occasion of the new year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned citizens that the “historic” emerging coronavirus crisis could continue in 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 took better care of ourselves,” said Luiz Gustavo de Almeida, a microbiologist from the University of São Paulo. Now there are many cases and people are behaving as if there is no pandemic ”.
(AFP)
