SYDNEY: The world readied to usher in the New Year Thursday, with pandemic controls muting celebrations for billions of people eager to bid virus-ridden 2020 farewell, reported international news agency AFP.
After a grinding year that has seen at least 1.7 million people die from Covid-19, fresh waves of infection have sparked renewed lockdowns and forced would-be revellers to extend their 2020 tradition of watching events from the sofa.
From Sydney to Rome, firework displays, pyre burnings and live performances will be watched online or on television — if they have not been cancelled altogether.
The eagerly awaited first lights of 2021 will fall on the Pacific nations of Kiribati and Samoa from 1000 GMT, with the uninhabited Howland and Baker Islands the last to tip over into the New Year, 26 hours later.
