A New Year’s Eve event in London has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

A New Year’s Eve event in London has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

COVID 19

A New Year’s Eve event in London has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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NewsReport the mayor of London announced on Monday that a major New Year’s celebration in the British capital will be canceled, as fears grow over a surge in virus cases sparked by the Omicron variant.

Infections were at record levels in the city, according to Sadiq Khan, who said he needed to do everything he could to slow the spread of the new variant.

“This means we won’t be hosting a New Year’s Eve celebration for 6,500 people on Trafalgar Square this year,” he said.

“While many Londoners will be disappointed, we must take the necessary steps to prevent the virus from spreading.”

Instead, the city authorities announced that a “live broadcast spectacular” would be broadcast on the BBC to commemorate the city.

Paris has already announced that its annual fireworks show and other events will be canceled and Germany is expected to follow suit, with plans on the table to close nightclubs and limit the size of private parties.

Daily case rates have repeatedly broken records over the last week as the country — one of Europe’s worst-hit by the virus, with more than 147,000 deaths during the pandemic — struggles to contain Omicron.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson defied pressure on Monday to tighten restrictions over Christmas, vowed to keep the situation “under constant review”.

AFP