CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with pandemic restrictions limiting crowds and many people bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget.
New Year’s experiences in Asia and the South Pacific varied greatly depending on country, just like the coronavirus itself, Some major cities canceled or scaled-back their traditional celebrations, while a handful of places without active or severe outbreaks carried on like any other year.
Australia was among the first nations to ring in 2021 because of its proximity to the international date line. In past years 1 million people crowded Sydney’s harbor to watch fireworks. Instead, most stayed home and saw watched on TV.
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