Unlike last year, when public fireworks were canceled due to the corona pandemic, firecrackers were again allowed to be shot into the sky in Samoa. According to the tourism authority, the island state had five pyrotechnics experts flown in from New Zealand to install the fireworks.
In the Tonga archipelago, meanwhile, the forces of nature did not rest on New Year’s Eve either: the authorities have been warning against approaching the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha “apai volcano since Christmas. The mountain of fire, which last erupted in 2014, is active again and spews ashes and Gas in the air.
Because of their remote position, Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati have so far got through the corona crisis very lightly: In total, only half a dozen corona infections were recorded in the three island states. The borders of the Polynesian archipelagos have been largely closed to foreigners since the beginning of the pandemic.
Corona worries in Australia
Just before the imposing fireworks at the turn of the year in the port of Sydney the Australian state of New South Wales has recorded more new corona infections than ever before. Authorities in the east coast region reported around 21,100 new cases on Friday – nearly 9,000 more than Thursday and 15,000 more than Wednesday. Broadcaster ABC reported that there had never been higher numbers of new infections registered in any Australian region.
Despite the skyrocketing number of cases, in Sydney – the capital of New South Wales – a grandiose New Year’s Eve fireworks display against the backdrop of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House (2:00 p.m. CET) is planned. Six tons of pyrotechnics are to be shot into the sky.
Unlike last year, this time tens of thousands of spectators are allowed to watch the world-famous spectacle around the landmarks of the metropolis on the spot. However, all participants had to buy a ticket for one of around 30 viewpoints in advance. The fireworks will also be broadcast live on the internet and television.
Australia had long pursued a zero covid strategy and closed its national borders to visitors. Nevertheless, the number of infections has been increasing for months. Because of the spread of the Omikron variant, some parts of the country are currently reporting new record values.
Source: Nachrichten
