For a second year in a row, the virus that causes COVID-19 is casting a shadow over the festivities, which typically draws huge crowds to the famed intersection in midtown Manhattan.
After hours of live entertainment, the evening culminates with the dropping of a giant crystal ball at midnight, signaling the start of the new year.This year, the city will allow only about a third of the usual number of party goers inside the dozens of fenced-outviewing areas set up in the square, allowing for greater social distancing.“Normally hosting approximately 58 000 people in viewing areas, this year’s celebration will host approximately 15 000 people,” de Blasio said in a statement.
New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who will take office in January, supported the measures announced on Thursday by de Blasio.