Australia and New Zealand lit up with fireworks in Sydney and Aukland respectively as they ringed in the New Year 2022. With the Omicron virus surging across India and the world, various restrictions have forced people to stay back at home this New Year’s Eve. As we bid farewell to the old year on Friday, the night might be much quieter around the country with curbs kicking in across all states, writes indianexpress.com.

As the New Year rings in, most countries are either on the verge of or in the middle of a new wave of coronavirus infections, courtesy the Omicron variant of the virus. While both the US and UK have been reporting record number of cases each day, experts in India believe that the country is on the verge of a third wave.

Restrictions have been clamped across India on New Year celebrations. While festivities have been completely banned in states like Delhi and Karnataka, others have brought in strict restrictions, such as curfews, to control the spread of the virus.

Internationally, too, celebrations in Italy, Paris and London’s Trafalgar Square have been called off, among other destinations.