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NYC Ball Drop Broadcast Canceled, City May Scale Back Events
Omicron is already ruining New Year's Eve in Times Square.
The rapid outbreak of new COVID cases over the past week has caused officials to rethink this year's massive New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square. The event usually draws hundreds of thousands of visitors that stand packed together for hours, waiting to ring in the new year.
For the many people who would never even think of setting foot in Times Square (even without a global health crisis going on) the event is best viewed on TV from the comfort of a cozy couch. Well, it looks like that's also being canceled this year.
Fox has just announced that they are scrapping their live New Year’s Eve special from Times Square. The show, which was to be hosted by Ken Jeong and Joel McHale, has officially been canceled. Fox told TV Line that the cancelation is due to the rise in Omicron cases in New York.
While we are confident in the health and safety protocols for Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022, 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 show's cancelation comes as New York City decides exactly what to do about this year's ball drop. The NY Post reports that the NYPD is already planning a scaled-back contingency plan for Times Square. This comes after Bill de Blasio announced this week that the show will still go on for vaccinated partygoers.
As of now, there's been no announcement from ABC about their Rockin' New Year's Eve broadcast with Ryan Seacrest. Last year, the show did go on as Seacrest hosted a scaled-back celebration with limited attendees.
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