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Thailand's capital cancels New Year's celebrations

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has decided to cancel the official New Year countdown event and prayer ceremony planned to be held on the night of December 31 and January 1, 2022 due to concerns over the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
Thailand's capital cancels New Year's celebrations ảnh 1A shopping mall is decorated for Christmas in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 20, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) – The Bangkok MetropolitanAdministration (BMA) has decided to cancel the official New Year countdownevent and prayer ceremony planned to be held on the night of December 31 andJanuary 1, 2022 due to concerns over the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Kriangyos Sudlabha said the meetingof the subcommittee of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)asked the BMA to cancel all its New Year-related activities city-wide.

The cancellation, he added, is in line with the World HealthOrganisation’s appeal for the cancellation of New Year festive activitiesworldwide.

He said all private gatherings already approved by City Hallwere still allowed, but urged organisers to follow in the steps of the BMAdecision.

On December 23, Thailand recorded 2,940 new cases ofCOVID-19 and 30 deaths, bringing its total number of infections and deathssince the beginning of the epidemic to 2,202,001 and 21,501, respectively. Asof December 22, the nation recorded more than 100 suspected cases of Omicronvariant, of which 27 were confirmed./.

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