Several regional governors posted messages on social media warning residents not to break restrictions on New Year's Eve. In Kyiv, though, people gathered near the city's central Christmas tree as midnight approached.
"We've already had COVID, so now feel it's safe to enjoy ourselves." In Hong Kong, days after limits were lifted on group gatherings, tens of thousands of people met near Victoria Harbour for a countdown to midnight - the city's biggest New Year's Eve celebration in several years.