New York Welcomes 2021 – It Was So Empty At The Legendary “Ball Drop”

New York Welcomes 2021 – It Was So Empty At The Legendary “Ball Drop”

The American metropolis of New York traditionally welcomed the New Year in Times Square, but due to the corona pandemic, the famous Manhattan Square was closed to the public for the first time in decades on New Year’s Eve. When at midnight, like every year, a shiny crystal ball was lowered from a flagpole to the so-called ball drop, only a few dozen guests counted the last seconds. Among them were medical personnel and delivery men, the silent heroes of the pandemic. Despite the unusual setting conditions, millions of Americans are likely to have watched the big show on television again this time.

Images of the deserted Times Square in the heart of the East Coast metropolis circled the world in spring and became a symbol of America’s crown crisis. New York was particularly hard hit by the virus, with hundreds of people dying every day for weeks. The city issued strict rules to contain the virus; after a significant decrease, the number of infections is now increasing again.

Despite everything, the New York tradition of New Year’s Eve could not be absent this year: confetti was raining down and the songs “Auld Lang Syne” and “New York, New York” resounded through the streets of Manhattan. Gloria Gaynor had previously sung the classic “I Will Survive” along with many other stars on the show, which for some became something of an anthem during the pandemic.

Typically around a million people come to Times Square each year, the party is one of the largest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world. The grand event first took place in 1904, when the “New York Times” celebrated the opening of the new newspaper publisher with New Year’s Eve fireworks. (sda / dpa)