NYC plans ‘scaled back’ version of New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square

Though normally nearly 60,000 people attend Time Square New Year’s Eve festivities, only 15,000 will be allowed

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that he plans to have a "scaled back" New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in light of growing concerns over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The celebration, which typically draws nearly 60,000 people, will be limited to only 15,000 people this year, and visitors will not be allowed to enter viewing areas until around 3pm.

All attendees will be required to wear a mask and show photo identification at the event, according to Mr de Blasio's office.

Further, all visitors to Time Square are required to be fully vaccinated if they are older than five-years-old. Unvaccinated minors have to be accompanied by a vaccinated adult, according to Mr de Blasio.

"New Yorkers have stepped up tremendously over the past year," Mr de Blasio said. "We are leading the way on vaccinations, we have reopened safely, and every day we work toward building a recovery for all of us. There is a lot to celebrate, and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year."

Despite the new measures, some New Year's Eve programming is still slated to continue. ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve" will begin broadcasting at 8pm EST on New Year's Eve.

Fox scrapped its plans for holiday coverage in Times Square. The network announced on 21 December that it planned to cancel its planned "New Years Ever Toast & Roast 2022," which was set to be hosted by “Community” alumni Ken Jeong and Joel McHale.

"While we are confident in the health and safety protocols for Fox's New Year's Eve Toast & Roast 2022, the recent velocity of the spread of Omicron cases has made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square that meets our standards," the network said in a statement.

CBS opted to keep its New Year's coverage, "Jack Daniel's New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash," but as indicated by the name, the celebration will not take place in New York City. NBC's "Miley's New Year's Eve Party," hosted by Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson, is also staying out of Times Square, and will be broadcast from Miami, Florida.

New York Mayor-elect Eric Adams praised the move by the outgoing Mr de Blasio.

"New York is the best place in the world to celebrate New Year's Eve and now it will be one of the safest against COVID as well," he said. "The Mayor has made the right move to take precautionary measures as we learn to live with COVID and fight the Omicron variant-and New Yorkers and visitors alike can now enjoy Times Square and the rest of our city as we ring in 2022."