Wuhan celebrates 2021 with crowds

The Chinese city of Wuhan – which was once the epicenter of the COIVD-19 outbreak in the world – has seen large crowds take to the streets to celebrate the New Year.

Pictures of the celebrations show some revelers wearing masks and little or no social distancing as they launch balloons in the air at Hankou Customs Building – a popular spot on New Year’s Eve in Wuhan, according to Reuters.

Police were seen trying to control the crowd and urging people without masks to wear one if they wanted to continue the celebration, the outlet reported.

The celebrations come a year after the World Health Organization announced that it had received an alert for the first time about a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan – which later resulted in the world’s first coronavirus outbreak.

WHO experts are expected to meet in China in January to investigate the source of the virus for the first time.

Some countries like France and Spain rang in the new year with curfews imposed on the public. In Australia and New Zealand, people celebrate 2021 as they did before the pandemic spread.

Back in New York, Times Square was A. ghost town As the police sealed off the area as people were preparing to watch the famous ball drop from the house.