Every Year on December 31, New Year’s Eve celebrations take place all over the world. People have get-togethers where family and friends meet to eat, dance, watch fireworks, and commit to resolutions. These celebrations carry into January 1st, the first day of the Gregorian Calendar. However, this year will be different. In 2020, the development of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many states around the United States banning the usage of fireworks and even get-togethers that consist of more than ten people. Since fireworks are indirectly related to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, if people ignore these regulations, gatherings and fireworks on New Year’s eve may result in the spread of the virus. 

2020 has been a difficult year for people due to the coronavirus and people around the world are eager to leave it in the past. There have been almost 230,000 deaths in the United States alone and even more jobs lost. Many countries have completely canceled their plans for the upcoming New Year’s Eve.  

For example, counties all over Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are canceling their plans for New Year’s due to COVID-19. One of these companies is Jubilee Fireworks, which supplies many European countries, including the U.K. It was forced to close down on what would have been a busy time. Furthermore, according to Express and Star News, it is predicted that approximately 60 tons of unsold fireworks will be left in warehouses throughout the United States. The Managing Director of Jubilee Fireworks, Chris Pearce, says that “This the worst year I [Jubilee Fireworks] have ever had—even from the early days.” 

It isn’t just the fireworks industry that is being harmed during these times. Get-togethers and holiday dinners are also being canceled this year. Several states are only allowing ten people at most to meet. On top of that, singing, dancing, and chanting in public places is strongly discouraged as those activities release respiratory droplets into the air. Moreover, everyone who isn’t part of the same family would have to stay 6 feet apart. Recently, due to the increasing number of COVID – 19 cases, many states have added travel restrictions. States including California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska have added a statewide travel restriction where if a person travels more than 150 miles from their state, then they must quarantine themselves for the next two weeks. Furthermore, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, advises people to stay at home during the New Year as he predicts that hospitals will be overwhelmed due to Christmas celebrations. 

 In many countries like Sweden, Bulgaria, and even in Northern Macadamia, authorities say that they will not have a New Year’s Eve celebration due to it being a huge risk.  

Although traditional celebrations won’t be happening, bigger countries such as the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, and many more countries plan on doing an online celebration through online video services such as Zoom. New York’s widely known New Year’s Eve Drop Ball will be done virtually this year, and fireworks launched in New York will be broadcasted to every news station in celebration of the event. This year might not have been the best year but it will by far be one of the most memorable. Humans have been discovering more creative ways to entertain themselves while indoors including celebrating through zoom calls and online video games. Ultimately, though this year has been perhaps the worst year of some people’s lives, it has been a very unique experience. Though this New Year may not be the same as previous years, it will demonstrate how humanity can adapt and change to different conditions relatively quickly.