Dec. 23 (UPI) -- New York City Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that the city's scaling back New Year's Eve celebrations at Times Square amid rising COVID-19 cases.
Under the new guidelines, about 15,000 people will be allowed to attend the festivities from the outdoor viewing areas, down from about 58,000 in normal years. All attendees 5 years old and older must show proof of vaccination and wear masks. Those who can't receive a vaccine because of a disability must show a negative COVID-19 PCR test.
Attendees also won't be able to enter the viewing areas until 3 p.m., later than in normal years.
"New Yorkers have stepped up tremendously over the past year -- we are leading the way on vaccinations, we have reopened safely and every day we work toward building a recovery for all of us," de Blasio said.
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"There is a lot to celebrate and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New York."
Last year's Times Square festivities were closed to the general public.
The announcement comes amid rising cases of COVID-19 in New York City due in part to the spread of the Omicron variant.
Fox also canceled the planned live broadcast of its New Year's special, Toast & Roast 2022, from Times Square.
"While we are confident in the health and safety protocols for Fox's New Year's Eve Toast & Roast 2022, the recent velocity of the spread of Omicron cases has made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square that meets our standards," the network said in a statement Tuesday.
New York City reported a seven-day average of 12,000 confirmed and probable cases Monday, a three-fold increase over 10 days prior. There were 114 hospitalizations that day and 14 deaths, both on the rise since November.
