Fireworks light up night sky as Athens quietly welcomes 2022
Fireworks bloomed over the Greek capital's ancient landmarks on Saturday (January 1) to quietly usher in the New Year, as the country grappled with record-breaking coronavirus infections and cancelled holiday festivities.
Greece reported 40,560 COVID-19 cases on Friday (December 31), setting a new record high for the fourth successive day following a surge of cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Health authorities said 76 deaths had been reported on Friday.
Greece has banned public Christmas and New Year's Eve festivities and mandated mask-wearing in open spaces to help to curb the spread of Omicron, but the recent surge forced the government on Wednesday (December 30) to implement new restrictions on the hospitality sector.
Bars, restaurants and nightclubs have been ordered to close at midnight, with no standing customers and no music. An exception is New Year's Eve, when establishments can close at 2 a.m.
The country of 11 million people has reported 1,210,853 infections since the first case was detected in February 2020 and 20,790 COVID-related deaths.
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