Chicago, Las Vegas and San Antonio Keep New Year's Plans Intact

U.S.|A fewer U.S. cities accidental to New Year’s revelers: Party on.

• Dec. 30, 2021, 2:23 p.m. ET

Most ample New Year’s Eve events successful the United States person been canceled oregon diminished, arsenic the federation shattered its record for caller regular coronavirus cases connected Wednesday. But Chicago, Las Vegas and San Antonio are a fewer of the anomalies, having neither scrapped nor pared backmost their plans.

In Las Vegas, metropolis officials accidental that they expect much than 300,000 radical connected the Strip and downtown for the instrumentality — aft a one-year hiatus — of New Year’s Eve fireworks. Masks stay required indoors, but look coverings and societal distancing are optional outdoors.

“We person to get backmost the champion we tin to having mean lives,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman said connected Wednesday astatine a quality briefing.

Clark County, which contains Las Vegas, is averaging astir 1,255 caller cases a day, much than treble the mean from 2 weeks ago, according to a New York Times database. About 53 percent of adults successful the region are afloat vaccinated.

Revelers successful San Antonio are besides returning to ringing successful 2022, aft past year’s events were canceled successful downtown’s Riverwalk due to the fact that of the pandemic. The event, Celebrate SA, did not endure from cancellations, contempt a dependable emergence successful Covid cases successful the metropolis attributed to the Omicron variant.

Crowds are expected to descend connected La Villita and the country surrounding the Hemisfair park, including the Tower of the Americas, to bask unrecorded euphony and a fireworks show. Officials had said they felt outdoor spaces provided less opportunities for caller infections.

Ron Nirenberg, the politician of San Antonio, urged residents to deterioration masks successful crowded places and get vaccinated arsenic precautionary measures.

“When successful doubt, disguise up, particularly successful ample crowds oregon erstwhile you don’t cognize the vaccination presumption of the radical you’re with,” Mr. Nirenberg said.

Omicron accounted for astir 25 percent of each caller infections successful Texas during the week of Dec. 11, according to the state’s wellness department. A week aboriginal that fig ballooned to astir 85 percent.

Chicago volition person a downtown fireworks display, adjacent arsenic cases successful the metropolis person soared to grounds levels. The fireworks volition beryllium launched astatine 8 sites on a 1.5-mile agelong of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, wherever respective businesses person arranged viewing parties.

“Importantly, the show tin beryllium viewed outdoors wherever the dispersed of Covid-19 is little likely, truthful our residents and visitors should consciousness comfy portion masking up and societal distancing oregon adjacent watching safely from home,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said successful a statement.

An indoor disguise mandate remains successful spot successful Chicago. Next week, a vaccine mandate volition instrumentality effect for radical wishing to dine indoors oregon sojourn gyms.