Images from then and now show New Year’s contrast

There were countdowns and live performances, but New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world looked completely different this year as large crowds stayed away from traditional party venues such as Times Square and the Champs Elysees in Paris, New York.

The coronavirus that has changed so much in 2020 has led to the cancellation of most fireworks displays and public events in favor of only for TV moments in cities around the world.

The Associated Press at the time took pictures of some of these popular places around the world to illustrate the striking contrast between full, cheering crowds in previous years and quiet, empty streets after 2021.

In South Korea, the city government of Seoul canceled its annual chime in the Jongno neighborhood for the first time since the event was first held in 1953, months after the end of the Korean War.

And in Tokyo, the Maiji Jingu Shinto Shrine, which traditionally attracts millions of people each year during the New Year holidays, closed its doors on New Year’s Eve for the first time in 74 years.