Times Square deserted as US bids farewell to pandemic year 2020

The “crossroads of the world” was closed off to the public for the first time in history due to the coronavirus pandemic

2021 arrived to largely subdued celebrations across the US with New York’s Times Square, typically the site of a million revelers on New Year’s Eve, eerily deserted as the ball dropped. 

The “crossroads of the world” was closed off to the public for the first time in history due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

A few hundred people, mostly frontline workers and their guests, were allowed to attend in a closed-off area with cubicles provided for dancing. 

The square was a blur of purple and yellow, the colours of sponsor Planet Fitness, whose logo covered attendees hats, signs, and the stage where Mayor Bill de Blasio initiated the ball drop and danced with his wife Chirlane McCray.

Some of those who performed for the benefit of the millions watching from home included Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion, Cyndi Lauper, and Lewis Capaldi. 

The blocks surrounding the square were blocked off and the NYPD deployed hundreds of officers to move people along from the area. They also marshalled bomb-sniffing dogs and trucks filled with sand to protect against any possible explosions, ABC7 New York reported.

Restaurants closed at 10pm in New York City and at 11pm in Chicago. Curfews were in place across the country. 

However not all states stuck with cautious celebrations. In Miami, Florida, hundreds of party-goers packed into bars and nightclubs with many appearing to forgo masks and social distancing. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made it illegal to fine anyone not wearing a mask, and has decided against reducing capacity inside restaurants and clubs. 

This led people from all over the country to visit Miami to bring in the New Year. Some 80,106 people flew into Miami International Airport on December 30, local10 reported.

Florida is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 infections with more than 17, 000 new cases reported on New Year's Eve. Almost 3,000 of those cases  were in Miami-Dade county, according to data from The New York Times. 

Top: New Year’s Eve on December 31, 2020 and below, celebrations at the same time last year  (AP)

While other cities such as San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Boston cancelled fireworks displays to discourage people from gathering in large numbers, Miami cancelled its show due to high winds, Miami Beach Police said on Twitter. 

In Las Vegas, thousands of revellers gathered on the streets despite Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak telling people not to come and calling large gatherings “irresponsible” during a virtual press conference. 

Sin City had closed its clubs and cancelled fireworks in an attempt to stop people from gathering. However many on the streets were pictured wearing face coverings, NewsNation reported.

California also had a subdued New Year’s Eve. The state has become a Covid hotspot, adding more than 32,000 news cases on December 31.

In San Francisco, the fireworks display was cancelled, holiday lights in Golden Gate Park were turned off, and police warned that they would arrest those not following the rules.  

Los Angeles added 14,500 cases on December 31. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN that while there is capacity for new patients, healthcare workers are “taking shift after shift” and being stretched to the limit. 

Despite the alarming situation, some chose to ignore the public health crisis.

Hundreds gathered for a concert in Valencia, north of LA, not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing guidelines, CBSLA writes. 

Actor Kirk Cameron, who’s openly against mask-wearing, hosted a New Year's Eve party despite warnings from public health officials, ABC7 reported. 

The New York Times reported that others have been partying in secret with the help of mailing lists and apps like Vybe Together. Apple removed the latter from its app store it received attention last week with thousands still waiting for their access to the app to be approved.  

Public health officials in Los Angeles pleaded with people to stay home. The official LA Public Health account tweeted “Please stay home tonight. Slow the spread. Save a life,” dozens of times on New Year’s Eve.  

At the beginning of 2021, the US is facing a total of 20 million Covid cases and 125,000 hospitalizations. Some 346,000 Americans have died so far during the pandemic.