On Sunday, police put up multiple layers of barricades in Delhi’s border areas near Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
There were countdowns and live performances, but New Year's Eve celebrations across the globe looked radically different this year as large crowds stayed away from traditional party spots like New York City's Times Square and the Champs Elysees in Paris. The Coronavirus induced lockdown led to cancellations of most fireworks displays and public events in favor of made-for-TV-only moments in cities around the world. The Associated Press captured then-and-now images of some of these popular locations around the globe to illustrate the striking contrast between packed, jubilant crowds in previous years and quiet, empty streets heading into 2021.
Earlier in 2019, at least two members of one of the brigades marched while wearing blackface, and racist skits and imagery have been commonplace throughout the parade’s history. In January 2020, Kenney threatened to cancel the parade if change did not take place.