Bahrain, world bids adieu to a tumultuous year

Agencies | Manama/World

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Celebrations worldwide, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, were smaller and muted yesterday, as the planet roiled by the deadly pandemic tiptoed slowly into the New Year 2021 bidding goodbye to 2020.

Bahrainis welcomed the New Year without their customary fireworks display at the Tubli Bay region - cancelled this year to avoid crowding and increased spread of the outbreak.

“Synergised efforts with the frontlines in combating COVID-19 will bring life back to normal and festivities will return,” a BTEA statement had said.

Earlier last-month, Bahrain also started free inoculating all above 18 years of age in a campaign expected to vaccinate 679,000 expatriates and 712,000 Bahrainis.

The scene was the same in Dubai, where the UAE Government spelt out strict guidelines and limits on gatherings. The Pointe in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah had also cancelled fireworks show for the New Year’s Eve, though the Palm Fountain show continued as planned.

Egypt had cancelled all New Year festivities and also warned to shut down any facility for organising festivities. The government had also banning weddings, funerals and other gatherings.

In Riyadh, on Monday, Saudi authorities extended the suspension of international commercial flights for an additional week. Besides flights, the Ministry also announced the suspension of land and sea entry to the Kingdom for the same period.

Latest statistics show 83,422,810 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide, with the deaths results from the virus reaching over 1,818,857.

More than 210 countries and regions are affected by the virus discovered in China in December 2019. In Wuhan, where the pandemic is thought to have originated, thousands gathered at several popular landmarks across the city centre for the countdown to 2021.

In Australia, Blue and gold fireworks soared into the sky above the Sydney Opera House as they do every New Year’s Eve, but the harbour below was a deserted ghost town, a fittingly creepy send-off for a year that will not be missed.

Some cities planned, like Sydney, to launch fireworks over empty streets. Others, such as London and Singapore, just called their displays off.

Paris, Rome and Istanbul were under curfew. Japan’s Imperial Household Agency had cancelled an annual New Year’s event set for January 2, at which Emperor Naruhito and other imperial family members were to greet well-wishers.

In Singapore’s downtown Marina Bay, there were no fireworks to ring in the New Year, for the first time since the annual tradition began in 2005.

Instead, at different locations across the Southeast Asian city state, fireworks were set off.

In Britain, under ever tighter restrictions to fight a new, more contagious variant of the virus, official billboards instruct the public to “see in the New Year safely at home”.