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Germany's biggest New Year's Eve party in Berlin is canceled again this time, but ZDF is broadcasting a show from the Brandenburg Gate - Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was also involved
Photo:
ANNEGRET HILSE / REUTERS
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach showed irony on New Year's Eve: With a photo on Twitter, the SPD politician, known as a warning and warner in the corona pandemic, took a position to celebrate the turn of the year.
“Don't overdo it.
I see you.
Greetings, your Karl, ”says a meme he has linked, on which he secretly peers through a window from outside.
The edited photo was not entirely wrong, wrote the minister and wished him a "nice last evening in 2021".
He "appeal to everyone, one last time, to be careful," he wrote.
"Testing, very small groups, face masks where necessary and watching TV if you have symptoms." There are nationwide contact restrictions for private meetings, mainly because of fear of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Contact restrictions and ban on sale of firecrackers in Germany
Because of the pandemic, the sale of firecrackers and New Year's Eve rockets was also prohibited in Germany this year and last.
Already existing pyrotechnics or those purchased abroad may be ignited, but restrictions such as firecrackers and collection bans in central locations also apply here.
The sales ban is intended to relieve the emergency services, which are already heavily stressed by the pandemic, who otherwise regularly have to take care of many injured by fireworks on New Year's Eve.
Opponents of the New Year's Eve bang also point to the considerable amounts of garbage that regularly arise, as well as to pollution for wild animals and domestic animals.
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) called for a permanent firecrackers ban on New Year's Eve on Friday with reference to the air quality.
This is how the world celebrates New Year's Eve
It will take 26 hours again for the whole globe (on January 1st, 1:00 p.m. CET) to slide into the new year.
This
time, too, the island states of
Samoa
and
Kiribati
in the Pacific made the start, followed by countries such as Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, China and India.
In
Sydney
,
Australia
- unlike last year - tens of thousands of spectators were again allowed to watch the fireworks against the backdrop of the opera house.
Interested parties had to buy a ticket in advance for one of around 30 viewpoints.
In the state of New South Wales, in which Sydney is located, the corona numbers are exploding due to the spread of the omicron variant.
Authorities reported more than 21,000 new infections on Friday.
In
China
, several cities canceled fireworks and major festivities due to corona, including Beijing and
Wuhan,
the city where the corona virus first broke out in late 2019. New Year's Eve is not in itself a particularly important holiday for the Chinese. According to their traditional lunar calendar, this time the new year starts at the beginning of February. Only then will there be a big wave of travel. However, significant travel restrictions are expected in 2022.
In
Thailand
- one of the few long-distance destinations where numerous tourists are currently staying - many restaurants were exceptionally allowed to open until 1.00 a.m. on New Year's Eve and until then they were also allowed to serve alcohol.
In the capital
Bangkok
, tens of thousands of locals and tourists welcomed the New Year on the famous backpacker mile Khaosan Road.
The entire street, which until a few weeks ago was orphaned due to the pandemic, was like a single rave party with loud music in every bar Pre-pandemic times.
The corona numbers in Thailand are still low despite the Omikron variant and are around 3,000 new infections every day across the country.
With fireworks in several places, millions of people in
Moscow
celebrated the New Year in sub-zero temperatures.
Thousands gathered in Red Square alone, where the clock on the Kremlin struck twelve times to ring in the year 2022.
The Russian capital traditionally organizes fireworks in several places.
There are no major restrictions on the New Year celebrations due to the pandemic.
In
Dubai
, another spectacular fireworks display was planned for the tallest building in the world, the 828-meter-high Burj Khalifa.
In
New York
, the New Year's Eve party in Times Square should take place again with spectators - but only with vaccinated people.
ngo / dpa
