This was New Year s Eve in the age of COVID-19.
Crowd control gave way to crowd prevention, as police closed the Crossroads of the World to vehicles and onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of the glittering, crystal ball that will still descend down a flagpole to mark the stroke of midnight. Would-be partygoers were urged to watch the ball drop on television.
Still, throngs of tourists crowded around the police perimeter, which took on the feel of a tailgate as midnight neared. Many said they wanted to end a challenging year on their own terms and groused that they couldn’t get closer to the storied ball.
In the headlines:
► Republican Sen. David Perdue announced Thursday that he was quarantining after coming into contact with someone on his campaign who tested positive for COVID-19, a striking development just five days before voters decide his political fate in a runoff race in Georgia. Perdue’s campaign said the Georgia Republican and his wife both tested negative for the virus Thursday but were going to quarantine.
► California on Thursday surpassed 25,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, the third state to do so after New York and Texas, health officials said. New York has nearly 38,000 deaths and Texas has more than 27,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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Times Square will be closed to the public on New Year s Eve for the first time ever Next year we will all gather and fill Times Square, Chief of Department Terence Monahan said Wednesday. This year, don t even attempt to come and watch it
Those brazen enough to attempt to gather near Times Square will be told to move along, Monahan added
People have been gathering in Times Square to celebrate New Year s Eve every year since 1907
There will still be musical performances and multiple webcasts and telecasts featuring the crystal ball
Last year, around a million people gathered in Times Square on New Year s Eve, which is no longer an option
Bomb-sniffing dogs? Check. Times Square crowd? Not this year
FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2014, file photo, New York Police Department counterterrorism officers, foreground, armed with an explosives detection device, far right, watch as other police officers inspect revelers entering a cordoned off area in Times Square in New York, on New Years Eve. Although New York City police have turned to familiar tactics ahead of the iconic Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, ball drop, the department s playbook this year includes an unusual mandate: preventing crowds from gathering in Times Square. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, police officers gather at the southern end of Times Square to receive their assignments for New Year s Eve in New York. Although New York City police have turned to familiar tactics ahead of the iconic Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, ball drop, the department s playbook this year includes an unusual mandate: preventing crowds from gathering in Time
Bomb-sniffing dogs? Check. Times Square crowd? Not this year
by The Associated Press
Last Updated Dec 31, 2020 at 7:14 am EDT
FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, police officers gather at the southern end of Times Square to receive their assignments for New Year s Eve in New York. Although New York City police have turned to familiar tactics ahead of the iconic Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, ball drop, the department s playbook this year includes an unusual mandate: preventing crowds from gathering in Times Square. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
New York City police turned to familiar tactics ahead of Thursday’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, deploying bomb-sniffing dogs and sand-filled sanitation trucks intended to guard against explosions.