Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Feb 20, 2026

Where ‘THE NEW YEAR’ is ruined due to Omicron, There is good news for ‘South Africa’

Much like last year, 2021 is ending with the emergence of a brand new sort of coronavirus, distress that the tip of the pandemic could be seeable. And though so far the new variant, omicron, looks to have milder symptoms and lower rates of hospitalization and death, several countries around the world are error-prone on the facet of caution and scaling back plans to ring in the New Year.
There will be no ancient displays higher than most of the world’s landmarks, with fireworks off over Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, London’s Big Ben and also the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

A notable exception is Australia, the primary country to pronounce itself past its Omicron wave. Here, the traditionally spectacular fireworks over Sydney Harbor proceeded despite a growing eruption.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison aforesaid at a conference, “What I’d like folks to try and do tomorrow night is enjoying the evening”.

Dominic Perrottet of recent South Wales, which has Sydney, aforesaid this week that folks should “head out and revel in New Year’s,” at the same time as the state reportable a daily record of over 20,000 cases on Fri.

Thanks to Omicron, the New Year began its annual roll from East to West quietly — with no official firework display in Auckland, New Zealand.

Sydney opened the world celebration in vintage style, with its usual spectacular pyrotechnics mirrored in the harbour below the Sydney Opera house. however, there would be no displays higher than several of the world’s ancient landmarks, with fireworks referred to as off over Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, London’s Big Ben and also the Petronas Towers in the capital of Malaysia.

Australian officials’ permissive perspective was a pointy distinction to last year once Sydney residents required a allow to enter the Central Business District and were warned against hour hugs and kisses.

New Zealand, which has nonetheless to report any community spread of Omicron, conjointly became one of the primary places in the world to welcome 2022. Covid fears still off fireworks show across the country, however, a midnight light show did move in Auckland. Restrictions were solely recently raised in the city, the country’s largest, that was in Lockdown for 107 days once a delta eruption in August.

“It’s been terribly positive as a result of clearly, we’ve been in lockdown,” Eleanor Rawson aforesaid by telephone from Mo’s bar in Auckland, where she rang in the New Year with friends at 6 a.m. ET. “This is sort of our initial time getting out and having the ability to mingle, thus it feels terribly nice.”

Rawson aforesaid she hoped for a “semi-normal lifestyle” in 2022, in which “people quite notice a way of balance for themselves and a way of happiness.”

In China, where thirteen million folks in the city of Xi’an are on internment for over per week amid a coronavirus eruption weeks before the Beijing Olympics, events have been cancelled in multiple cities. folks also are being urged to not travel for the upcoming Lunar New Year, China’s most vital holiday, creating this the third consecutive year it’s been non-continuous by the pandemic.

In Hong Kong, authorities on Friday appealed to the general public to not attend New Year’s Eve events however failed to cancel them because the Chinese territory confirmed its initial domestically transmitted cases of the Omicron variant. The annual fireworks show had already been off, though there’ll be an outdoor concert that includes the favoured Hong Kong boy band Mirror.

Fireworks were set to go ahead in Taiwan, which is nearly Covid-free, with the Taipei hundred and one skyscraper lighting up floor by floor in what organizers describe as “the biggest New Year’s Eve countdown clock in the world.”

Celebrations will be more muted in South Korea, which ended the year on Fri by extending tighter social distancing rules for 2 weeks. They embody a nine p.m. shut for restaurants and a limit on gatherings to four absolutely vaccinated people.

In North Korea, a New Year’s celebration looked as if it would be planned within the capital, Pyongyang, as Kim Jong-un marks ten years in power.

In India, New Year’s celebrations have been mostly stymied by curfews and alternative restrictions in major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai.

Rare excellent news for those hoping to celebrate the New Year modish came from South Africa that raised hour to 4 a.m. curfew on people’s movement basic cognitive process the country has passed the height of its fourth Covid-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant.


People in The Canadian province of Quebec can be got to be home well before the hour on Fri, as a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew goes into result. Describing the case as “extreme,” Premier François Legault aforesaid Thursday that restaurant dining rooms would even be closed and personal gatherings would be prohibited.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Intensifies Efforts to Secure Saudi Investment in Next-Generation Fighter Jet Programme
Saudi Arabia Tops Middle East Green Building Rankings with Record Growth in 2025
Qatar and Saudi Arabia Each Commit One Billion Dollars to President Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Initiative
Ramadan 2026 Prayer Times Set as Fasting Begins in Saudi Arabia and Egypt Announces Dates
Saudi Arabia Launches Ramadan 2026 Hotel Campaign to Boost Religious and Leisure Tourism
Saudi Arabia Seeks Reroute of Greece-Bound Fibre-Optic Cable Through Syria Instead of Israel
Saudi-Backed Scopely Acquires Majority Stake in Turkey’s Loom Games to Expand Mobile Portfolio
Zodiac Milpro Launches Zid Marine Joint Venture in Saudi Arabia to Expand Regional Shipbuilding
Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Reform Path Amid Claims of Ideological Reversal
Calls Grow for Saudi Arabia and UAE to Settle Differences Through Direct Dialogue
Jensen Huang just told the story of how Elon Musk became NVIDIA’s very first customer for their powerful AI supercomputer
British couple sentenced to 10 years in Iran for espionage
Former British Prince Andrew Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office
Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing showcases future robot deployment during Spring Festival Gala.
Prince William Holds Talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman During Saudi Visit
Saudi Arabia’s Humain Commits $3 Billion Investment to Elon Musk’s xAI
SCOPA Executive Unveils Ambitious Relaunch Strategy for Saudi Production Company
Saudi Arabia Sees Rise in Business Visa Rejections Amid Tighter Compliance Checks
Saudi PIF Transfers Take-Two Stake to Savvy Games Group in Strategic Gaming Push
Jimmy Carr Says He ‘Loved’ Saudi Arabia Show Amid Debate Over Performing in the Kingdom
Sotheby’s ‘Origins II’ Auction Signals Saudi Collectors’ Shift Toward Cultural Legacy
EY and Microsoft Deepen Saudi Arabia Partnership with Launch of EY Studio+
Google Pay Launches Support for Mastercard Cards in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Bolsters Maritime Surveillance Fleet with Four C-27J Patrol Aircraft
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia Deepen Strategic Partnership with New Investment and Energy Agreements
Saudi Crown Prince Receives Written Message from Kazakhstan’s President Amid Expanding Strategic Ties
ImmunityBio Shares Rise After Saudi Arabia BCG Manufacturing Update Spurs Investor Optimism
Global Music Star Tyla Confirmed as Headliner at 2026 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Entertainment Lineup
Somalia and Saudi Arabia Forge New Military Partnership Amid Regional Power Shifts
Saudi Arabia and Several Nations Criticize Israeli West Bank Land Measures as Diplomatic Tensions Rise
Saudi Public Investment Fund Transfers Stake in Take-Two Interactive as Portfolio Strategy Evolves
Saudi Arabia’s Flagship Defense Expo Highlights Industrial Ambitions and Expanding Arms Portfolio
Strategic Divergence Deepens as Saudi Arabia and UAE Recalibrate Gulf Partnership
Saudi Arabia Confirms Start of Ramadan as Crescent Moon Sighted, While Other Nations Begin a Day Later
Rubio Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform, Saying It Has Failed to End Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
10,000 Condoms Distributed at Winter Olympics 2026 Athlete Village Depleted Within 72 Hours
Prince William Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Epstein-Andrew Fallout Casts Shadow
Goldman Sachs and DP World Executive Resignations: Elite-Reputation Risk and Corporate Governance Fallout From the Epstein Disclosures
OpenAI and DeepCent Superintelligence Race: Artificial General Intelligence and AI Agents as a National Security Arms Race
Prince William in Saudi Arabia on Official Three-Day Visit to Strengthen UK-Saudi Relations
Prince William Highlights Women’s Sport During High-Profile Visit to Saudi Arabia
Prince William Begins High-Profile Diplomatic Mission to Saudi Arabia
Syria and Saudi Arabia Seal Multibillion-Dollar Investment Agreements to Drive Post-War Economic Reconstruction
Apple iPhone Lockdown Mode blocks FBI data access in journalist device seizure
Foreign Governments and Corporations Spend Millions with Trump-Linked Lobbying Firm in Washington
KPMG Urges Auditor to Relay AI Cost Savings
Saudi Arabia Quietly Allows Wealthy Foreign Residents to Buy Alcohol, Signalling Policy Shift
US and Iran to Begin Nuclear Talks in Oman
China unveils plans for a 'Death Star' capable of launching missile strikes from space
Investigation Launched at Winter Olympics Over Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid
×