In some countries the new year has already started. The inhabitants of the South Seas paradises Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were the first in the world to welcome the year 2022 at 11 a.m. CET. Unlike last year, when public fireworks were canceled due to the corona pandemic, firecrackers were again allowed to be shot in the sky in Samoa. So far, only half a dozen corona cases have been reported in the three island states.
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New Zealand followed an hour later, but due to the spread of Corona, most events and the fireworks from the Sky Tower in Auckland as well as all public events in other cities such as Christchurch and the capital Wellington were canceled. Only the three-day music festival “Rhythm and Alps” near Wanaka on the South Island was allowed to take place.
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In Sydney, on the other hand, tens of thousands of spectators were again admitted to the colorful fireworks in front of the backdrop of the Harbor Bridge and the opera house – unlike last year. Interested parties had to buy a ticket in advance for one of around 30 viewpoints. The concerns of many citizens were great: In the state of New South Wales, in which Sydney is located, the corona numbers are exploding due to the spread of the omicron variant: On Friday, the authorities reported more than 21,000 new infections. (DPA)
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