Current affairs

Happy New Year...2022 is here: Oceania welcomes the New Year with electrifying fireworks!

By alagu, 31 December, 2021
New Year, COVID-19, Omicron

By the time of writing this content, Sun is set in India for the last time in 2021 while the countries in Oceania have already welcomed the New Year with electrifying fireworks and with a spectacular show of countdown. New Zealand's Auckland is the first major global city to welcome the New Year and it has carpeted 2022 with a full display of sparkling fireworks. Though 2022 will miss large-scale celebrations in the wake of the Omicron variant of the pandemic, the people are giving a colourful welcome amid waving goodbye for the outgoing year.

After the New Zealanders, it was the Australians who welcomed 2022 and the New Year Eve had begun with style in the country. Electrifying fireworks had exploded over the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Sydney as the world watches the grand welcome for the New Year. The visuals from the welcomers were impressive and besides Sydney, the Australians have gathered in several cities on the eastern coastal line including Melbourne and Brisbane had celebrated the arrival of the New Year.

Apart from New Zealand and Australia, several countries on the eastern Pacific stretch are getting ready to offer the welcome in their respective styles to the New Year. Japan, the land of the rising sun, will welcome the New Year at around 8.30 pm (Indian time) while Hong Kong and Singapore will welcome the New Year at 9.25 pm and 9.30 pm respectively. As the globe rotates with different time zones, the United States will be one of the last countries to welcome the New Year. 

In India, the Covid-19 Omicron variant has been playing a spoilsport as the Union government and several state governments had imposed severe restrictions on New Year Eve in the wake of the variant spread. Several states had banned the celebrations and large-scale gatherings and closed the recreation centres as the country will be welcoming the New Year with no typical pulse of celebrations.

While welcoming the New Year, the global countries are aware that they are entering what would be the emergence of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic triggered by the Omicron variant. The states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Delhi have completely restricted the New Year celebrations while Chennai will be welcoming 2022 with heavy rainfall. The governments have appealed to the people to stay vigil and adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines. 

As the Omicron variant has become a global concern, dozens of countries have banned celebrations. According to reports, celebrations in Italy, Paris, and London have been restricted while several European countries have suspended the celebrations. The celebration in the iconic Times Square in New York has been allowed with the participation that has been capped at 15,000. With different time zones, unique celebrations, and one threat of Covid-19, the world welcomes the New Year with unprecedented fashions and unending hope. 2022 is here...Happy New Year everyone!

 

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