The Times Square follies
It’s crazy to hold ball drop as omicron bears down on us
e dropped the ball on this one.
I hate to be a party pooper, but if ever there was a party that needed to be pooped, this is the one.
A mayor spending his last minutes in office presiding over what could be the largest superspreader event in the world makes about as much sense as allowing an unvaccinated NBA superstar to be a part-time player.
Another story. Another time. Despite a location that is the least likely venue for social distancing, and despite a coronavirus variant that is spreading more rapidly than a viral tweet, Mayor de Blasio announced plans last week to go ahead with the big ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the city’s ... To celebrate what again?
“New Yorkers have stepped up tremendously over the past year—we are leading the way on vaccinations, we have reopened safely, and every day we work toward building a recovery for all of us,” de Blasio said. “There is a lot to celebrate, and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the new year.”
Somehow, de Blasio was able to persuade his replacement, Mayor-elect Eric Adams, to sign off on this whole Omicron-at-theCrossroads-of-the-World thing, even though it will be Adams who will have to pick up the pieces in the event that something goes wrong.
“New York is the best place in the world to celebrate New Year’s Eve and now it will be one of the safest against COVID as well,”Adams said.
“The mayor has made the right move to take precautionary measures as we learn to live with COVID and fight the omicron variant — and New Yorkers and visitors alike can now enjoy Times Square and the rest of our city as we ring in 2022.”
In other words, we’re going to party like it’s ... 2020 again.
Under the latest guidelines — they’re changing every day — the Times Square New Year’s Eve crowd will be capped at 15,000, down from the 58,000 revelers that are usually allowed into the viewing areas for the iconic Dec. 31 ball drop. That’s still too many people — by about 15,000. That’s also up nearly 15,000 people over last year, when officials wisely called off the public affair, which only a handful of frontline workers were allowed to attend.
Party planners have some other restrictions they think will keep visitors safe. Attendees must wear masks at all times and show proof that they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Revelers also won’t be allowed to enter
the Times Square area until 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, far later than past years.
How bad is this idea? Fox, the home of the Fox News network that is favored by many anti-vaxxers, has already canceled its coverage of the New Year’s Eve celebration.
“The recent velocity of the spread of omicron cases has made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square that meets our standards,” the network said.
“The health and safety of our casts and crews has always been, and will continue to be, of the utmost importance.”
At least somebody’s thinking straight. Meanwhile, New York State continues to set new daily COVID infection records.
I know that after the last 19 months of
mask wearing, remote learning, working from home and takeout food, the city needs a shot in the arm. But what New Yorkers really need is a shot in the arm.
If city officials insist on herding 15,000 people into Times Square to see the ball drop, the least they can do is set up vaccine and testing sites in the area so people can pass the time while they’re counting down.
So let’s review. Coronavirus cases are soaring again, and the city still wants to pack people into Times Square for a New Year’s Eve celebration that most New Yorkers feel is overrated, anyway. And they’ve got a plan: More masking, social distancing and a stricter vaccine mandate.
Omicron must be shaking in its boots.