As revelers said goodbye to 2021 and welcomed 2022, many countries around the world canceled or scaled down New Year’s Eve celebrations for the second year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the omicron variant’s spread.
Ringing in 2022 around the World
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Fireworks explode over the Chao Phraya River during the New Year celebrations, amid the spread of the COVID-19 in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 1, 2022.
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A staff wearing a protective mask, amid the COVID-19 outbreak, takes picture of 6,500 candle lights as he prepares for a ceremony to wish for overcoming the pandemic and good luck in the upcoming New Year at Hasedera Buddhist temple in Kamakura, south of Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 31, 2021.
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2022 is displayed on a big screen during a New Year's Eve concert in Hong Kong, Jan. 1, 2022.
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Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, Jan. 1, 2022.