New York is sticking to its New Year’s Eve party despite the high Corona numbers

New York. Despite a record number of new corona infections in New York, the big New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square should go ahead as planned. The city wants to show that there is progress, said outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday. “We want to show the world that New York City is fighting its way through.” De Blasio’s term ends on Friday.

No audience was allowed in Times Square last year because of the pandemic. This year the celebration with the famous “Ball Drop” is to take place again, but fewer people than usual and only vaccinated people are allowed. Traditionally, a crystal ball with glittering light-emitting diodes is lowered from a pole on a high-rise building to ring in the new year.

While New Year’s Eve celebrations have been canceled in other US cities such as Atlanta, the high vaccination rate in New York makes it possible to greet a mask-wearing crowd on the square while observing the rules of distance, said de Blasio. “We have to send a message to the world. New York City is open. “

Schools should stay open

91 percent of adult New Yorkers have been vaccinated at least once, said de Blasio. On Wednesday, the city reported almost 44,000 new infections, a daily record, according to official figures. The highly contagious omicron variant of the virus is held responsible for the increase.

The elected new mayor Eric Adams, like de Blasio a Democrat, will take office on New Years Day. He will be sworn in shortly after midnight (local time) in Times Square in front of the celebrating crowd. The former police officer becomes the second black mayor in New York City’s history.

Adams also announced, despite the increasing number of cases, to keep the schools open and to refrain from closings, as enforced in the first phase of the pandemic. “We can’t shut our town down again,” said Adams. “We cannot allow the city to go deeper into economic despair.”

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