Australia: New Year celebrations to take place without Covid curbs for first time in two years

Revellers in Australia are getting ready for first restriction-free New Year's Eve after two years of disruptions caused by Covid pandemic. It is expected that more than a million people will throng to Sydney's iconic harbourfront and watch the fireworks.

Sydney is one of the world's first major cities to welcome in the New Year and draws huge TV audiences around the world, with a public countdown and fireworks display over its iconic Opera House.

Covid lockdowns in 2020 and Omicron cases in 2021 had dampened the festive spirit in the last two years. This year, curbs on the celebrations have been lifted.

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"This New Year's Eve we are saying Sydney is back as we kick off festivities around the world and bring in the New Year with a bang," Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney, said.

"2022 has been another year of significant challenges as we continued working to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but tonight we put the year behind us and look with hope to 2023."

A rainbow of colour will light up Sydney Harbour, with 2,000 fireworks to be launched from the four sails of the Sydney Opera House and 7,000 fireworks from more positions on the Sydney Harbour Bridge than ever before.

The organisers told Reuters that for the first time in 12 years, fireworks will be launched from four building rooftops.

Prior to the pandemic, over a million people would join the festivities on the ground in Sydney as a billion spectators tuned in from other parts of the world.

(With inputs from agencies)

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