New York celebrates with confetti and “ball drop” – but hardly any people
The US metropolis of New York traditionally welcomed the New Year in Times Square – but because of the corona pandemic, the famous square in Manhattan was closed to the public for the first time in decades on New Year’s Eve. When at midnight, as every year, a shining crystal ball was lowered from a flagpole to the so-called ball drop, only a few dozen invited guests counted down the last seconds. Among them were medical staff and delivery men, the silent heroes of the pandemic. Despite the unusual framework 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 went around the world in spring and became a symbol of the corona crisis in the USA. New York was hit particularly hard by the virus, with hundreds of people dying every day for weeks. The city issued strict rules to contain the virus – after a significant decline, the number of infections is now increasing again.
In spite of everything, the New York New Year’s Eve traditions could not be missing this year either: It was raining confetti and the songs “Auld Lang Syne” and “New York, New York” resounded across the streets of Manhattan. Previously, Gloria Gaynor had sung the classic “I Will Survive” along with numerous other stars on the show, which for some became a kind of hymn during the pandemic.
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