RIO DE JANEIRO: This year’s annual New Year’s eve bash, set at the iconic Copacabana beach, has been canceled due to the raging coronavirus pandemic, the mayor’s office said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). What is normally a mega-party with live music, a dazzling display of fireworks and hundreds of thousands of people dancing to live music had already been drastically downsized, with the fireworks canceled and several events moved online. Mayor Marcelo Crivella’s office said in a statement that it had “opted to cancel the event out of respect for all of the victims, and to prioritize security for all.”

Source: Manila Times December 16, 2020 16:41 UTC