THE DAY IN PHOTOS: December 31, 2021

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Jan 01 2022 01:42 AM

Here are the day's top stories on photos.

People flock to Tokyo's Ueno district for New Year shopping

People visit shops to purchase food and supplies to celebrate the new year in Tokyo's Ueno shopping district on Thursday. Authorities urged residents to keep end-of-year gatherings small, as more cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 come to light and Japan braced for a feared rebound in coronavirus cases as New Year's celebrations and travel peak. Kazuhiro Nogi, AFP

Temporary home: COVID-positive OFWs brought to Luneta quarantine facility

More than a hundred Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who arrived at Clark International Airport are transferred to the Covid-19 Field Hospital in Burnham Green, Luneta, Manila on Friday after testing positive for the coronavirus. The hospital has been designated as the new quarantine facility for returning OFWs amid the Omicron threat. ABS-CBN News

Welcoming the New Year with colorful kites

A kitemaker prepares kites in his workshop ahead of the New Year celebrations on the outskirts of Amritsar, India on Friday, New Year’s eve. Several states in the country have imposed restrictions on New Year celebrations due to fears of a new wave of COVID-19 cases due to the highly infectious omicron variant. Narinder Nanu, AFP

Shoppers flock to Bagong Silang market in Caloocan as New Year nears

Scores of people, some wearing face masks improperly, crowd the Phase 1 market in Bagong Silang, Caloocan to shop for goods on New Year’s eve on Friday. Health authorities on Friday logged almost 3,000 fresh COVID-19 cases and a positivity rate of 10.3 percent as experts warned of a possible surge in infections due to increased mobility and relaxed health protocols. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN news

No more travel rush as New Year 2022 nears

A woman and her child wait among empty chairs of a bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday, New Year’s Eve. Interzonal and intrazonal travel will still be allowed subject to some restrictions in the capital region after Metro Manila was declared to be under alert level 3 from Jan. 3 to Jan. 15, 2022 amid the threat of the omicron variant. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

Australia welcomes 2022 with fireworks show amid omicron threat

New Year's Eve fireworks light up the sky over Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House (L) during the fireworks show on Saturday. While most countries have scaled back New Year celebrations owing to the omicron variant, Australia, one of the first places in the world to welcome 2022, proceeded with the annual fireworks show despite a record number of COVID-19 cases. David Gray, AFP