Celebrating the New Year During COVID
Photo By | Flickr – Amodiovalerio Verde
By Marisa Morrison
The end of the year inches towards its final days as 2020 begins to come to a well-deserved close. After months of social distancing and coming up with ways to maintain normalcy all orchestrated under the fear of catching the virus, many are left with concerns of what awaits us in the coming new year, as well as how to go about celebrating our final hours with 2020.
This year’s celebration may look a lot more different as rules enforcing stronger social distancing may be in effect. A physically smaller crowd may be in the physical setting of Times Square, while a larger crowd of onlookers may be gathering virtually online or on television stations.
The scene after the holidays may still be plenteous despite the pandemic, with people who have travelled for the holidays sticking around longer to ring in the New Year with friends and family. However, the creation of large group outings and meetings would naturally be discouraged through the enforcement of social distancing rules.
Of course, there may still be individuals who feel compelled to commute maskless, and will engage in normal activities seen during this time of the year through parties, restaurant outings, and within the crowds coming to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and the ball dropping on New Years in Manhattan.
Despite the efforts to reenact a normal New Year’s celebration, the transition into 2021 will look very much different than usual, and families will need to think more rationally on how to gather safely and in a controlled fashion.
