New York presses ahead with New Year’s Eve party despite record Covid cases

We're fighting our way through this,' says outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio, but decision is in contrast to public health messaging

New York City's leaders are pushing ahead with plans for the annual New Year's Eve party in Times Square despite record numbers of new Covid infections driven by the Omicron variant.

Outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is set to step down at midnight on Saturday, told NBC's Today show that pressing ahead with the public celebration would show that we're moving forward, and we want to show the world that New York City is fighting our way through this.