Limited revelers return to Times Square to usher in 2022

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square will come just as the year prior began, with the pandemic clouding an already uncertain future. The city said it would limit the number of people Friday to about 15,000 in-person spectators. That’s far fewer than the 50,000 revelers initially envisioned. Doubts swirled whether New York would have to cancel this year’s bash as the city posted record numbers of COVID cases in the days leading to it. Incoming Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to take his oath in Times Square soon after the ball drop.