San Francisco cancells annual New Year's Eve fireworks show over Omicron
December 30, 2021, 9:57 am

San Francisco cancells annual New Year's Eve fireworks show over Omicron

New Year's Eve fireworks/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported that he U.S. city of San Francisco announced the cancellation of the city's annual New Year's Eve fireworks show as holiday gatherings and travel have expedited the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

The event could draw tens of thousands to the waterfront, creating a hotbed for viral infections, public health officials said Tuesday, adding that another big worry is a shortage of staff to handle large events.

USA-America-San Francisco-California/Pixabay

According to a report by San Francisco Chronicle, New Year's Eve already presents challenges for San Francisco's police and fire departments, given the number of parties and revelers.

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Officials said in a news release that as of Tuesday, 84 percent of eligible San Francisco residents are vaccinated and 55 percent have received a booster shot.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.