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The Pacific island of Tonga has become the first country to usher in 2021, with millions of people around the world celebrating the New Year at home due to COVID-19.
Many New year celebrations have been disrupted by the pandemic as officials seek to limit the crowds that can spread COVID-19.
France has mobilized 100,000 policemen and gendarmes to break up the New Year’s Eve parties and enforce the curfew from 8:00 p.m.
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Australian officials have banned people from gathering near Sydney Harbor Bridge to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
The celebrated annual event, which normally draws around a million people to the city’s port, can only be seen live by locals and their guests.
New South Wales State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said those who live in the city center can invite up to 10 friends and family to their homes to celebrate. Guests must request permits to enter the area.
Half of the Paris metro lines will also be closed at night to discourage gatherings.
The avatar of composer and performer Jean-Michel Jarre will perform a set from inside a virtual Notre Dame cathedral while he performs it himself live in a nearby studio in the city.
One of the most iconic New Year’s Eve events is the Times Square Ball Drop in New York.
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2020: A year to forget?
The ball will continue to fall this year, but the party, which typically sees hundreds of thousands crammed into the famous LED-lit intersection, will be for an “extremely limited” group of socially distanced in-person “honorees.”
Everyone else will have to tune in virtually or watch television.
There will be a performance by singer Gloria Gaynor, who will end the year with a performance of I Will Survive.
In Tokyo, not only were night trains canceled on New Year’s Eve, but several of the city’s big countdown parties, concerts, and other seasonal gatherings were also canceled, including the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing party.
Hong Kong officials canceled the fireworks over Victoria Harbor, as well as the iconic annual Lunar New Year parade in February.
This makes 2021 the second year in a row that the city will miss out on annual celebrations, which are often lavish.
Last year’s countdown fireworks and the 2020 Lunar New Year parade were held in much diminished form due to the threat of anti-government protests.
