New York City ushers in 2022 with ball drop in Times Square

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square has arrived just as the year prior began, with the pandemic clouding an already uncertain future. Confetti and cheers spread across Times Square as a New Year’s Eve tradition returned to a city beleaguered by a global pandemic.T he city limited the number of people Friday to about 15,000 in-person spectators. That’s far fewer than the 50,000 revelers initially envisioned. Doubts swirled whether New York would have to cancel this year’s bash as the city posted record numbers of COVID cases in the days leading to it.