New Year: this is how the world received 2022, amid the upturn in omicron infections

• Drafting
• BBC News World

December 31, 2021

Updated 2 hours

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Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Fireworks to welcome 2022 in London.

Millions of people saw the New Year’s fireworks in different cities, as 2022 was gradually received in different parts of the world.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

The image of a lion created with drones in the sky of London.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was one of the icons in the world that greeted the new year with fireworks.

The celebrations, however, continued to be different in some places in the face of the covid-19 pandemic, which since 2020 has forced governments to establish restrictions to avoid contagion caused by crowds.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Fireworks over the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, to celebrate the arrival of 2022.

One of the first countries in the world to receive 2022 was Australia, where fireworks dominated the sky just over Sydney’s Port Jackson Bay.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Fireworks in Sydney, Australia, over Port Jackson Bay.

Despite the pandemic, people’s smiles can be seen in the images of the event.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

In Australia some people took to the streets, as in the city of Melboure.

Conversely, New Zealand He greeted the New Year with only lights and avoided fireworks. The show was held in Auckland, from the Skytower.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Light show in Auckland, the capital of New Zealand.

In Taiwan there was a fireworks display in the Xinyi district of Taipei. As in Australia, people were also allowed to gather to witness the activity.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Fireworks in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

Meanwhile, in Such joy flooded the streets. People greeted 2022 gathered, especially in Shibuya, with colorful costumes, smiles and a strong police presence.

The new year is greeted under a blanket of uncertainty, with the appearance of the new omicron variant, which is much more contagious than previous versions and spreads rapidly throughout the planet.

Image source, Getty Images

Caption,

In Japan, the population took to the streets and welcomed 2022 with colorful costumes and a strong police presence.

As of Thursday, 1,944,392 new cases of the virus were reported in the world.

Image source, Yuichi Yamazaki

Many governments fear that rising infections will overwhelm hospitals, although preliminary studies indicate that the omicron variant has milder effects than its predecessors.

This winter is also affected by the limitation of air travel, given the thousands of cancellations caused by the coronavirus, after affecting the crews of several airlines.

At the beginning of 2022, the Moscow Red Squareú she was devastated.

Due to the pandemic, the typical celebrations in the iconic square were canceled, but there was no shortage of fireworks.

Image source, EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Caption,

Moscow’s Red Square without an audience.

The Big Apple He greeted the year with confetti, music, lights and a safety protocol for those who came to the famous celebration in Times Square: full vaccinations and wearing masks.

Image source, REUTERS/Dieu-Nalio Chery

Caption,

The New Year’s party in Times Square.

Although with a very small audience, due to the increase in COVID-19 infections in New York, the party featured the traditional descent of the colored crystal ball and the musical show.

Image source, REUTERS / Hannah Beier

Caption,

Singers Ja Rule and Ashanti enlivened the celebrations in New York.

Rio de Janeiro also welcomed the year with fireworks at the copacabana beach, although also with many fewer people due to the pandemic.

Image source, REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

Caption,

Copacabana beach.

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