Nations curtail New Year celebrations as Omicron surges globally

New Year celebrations around the world have been called off or curtailed as the coronavirus casts gloom over festivities for a second year.

The latest variant, Omicron, while tentatively considered to cause milder illness, has pushed infection levels to record levels in recent days in the United States, Britain, France and other European countries, forcing governments to reimpose restrictions.

From Greece to Mexico, from Barcelona to Bali and across swathes of Europe, authorities have cancelled or curtailed public gatherings, either closing or imposing curfews on nightclubs.

South Africa has been the first country bucking the trend. It lifted a midnight to 4 am curfew to allow celebrations to go ahead, after health officials said the peak of the current wave had passed.

READ MORE: Omicron spreads global gloom as New Year's celebrations approach

Additional measures

In France, wearing masks outdoors will be compulsory while walking the streets of Paris from Friday for everyone over the age of 11. Nightclubs have been closed until well into January.

In Spain, public festivities have been cancelled across most regions and in the biggest cities except Madrid, where a stripped-down gathering is scheduled with the crowd limited to 7,000 people compared to 18,000 in 2019.

Indonesia, which has reported more than 4.2 million confirmed cases, warned that foreign travellers may be deported from the resort island of Bali if they are caught violating Covid health rules.

Mexico City has cancelled its massive New Year's Eve celebrations as a preventative measure after a rise in cases.

READ MORE: WHO: Omicron risk 'very high', may overwhelm healthcare systems