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PHOTOS: Weary world finally says goodbye to 2020 with muted festivities

A couple wearing face masks kisses as they celebrate New Year's Eve along the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, Dec 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker) — A couple wearing face masks kisses as they celebrate New Year’s Eve along the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, Dec 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

People celebrate New Year's Eve along the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker) — People celebrate New Year’s Eve along the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

The Gallup family, from left, Sadie, Greg, Holly and Makenzie take a selfie along the Las Vegas Strip as they celebrate New Year's Eve Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker) — The Gallup family, from left, Sadie, Greg, Holly and Makenzie take a selfie along the Las Vegas Strip as they celebrate New Year’s Eve Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Alejandra Paiz, a tourist from Guatemala who is visiting Mexico for the holidays with a friend and their respective sons, wears festive glasses as the group marks New Year's Eve at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, just after midnight on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Although Mexico City cancelled its annual New Year's celebration to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of people came out in small groups to mark midnight with selfies and video calls from the iconic city landmark.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) — Alejandra Paiz, a tourist from Guatemala who is visiting Mexico for the holidays with a friend and their respective sons, wears festive glasses as the group marks New Year’s Eve at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, just after midnight on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Although Mexico City cancelled its annual New Year’s celebration to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of people came out in small groups to mark midnight with selfies and video calls from the iconic city landmark. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Women take a selfie in front of the Angel of Independence monument, covered in scaffolding, just before midnight on New Year's Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Although Mexico City cancelled its annual New Year's celebration to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of people came out in small groups to mark midnight with photos and video calls from the iconic city landmark. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) — Women take a selfie in front of the Angel of Independence monument, covered in scaffolding, just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Although Mexico City cancelled its annual New Year’s celebration to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of people came out in small groups to mark midnight with photos and video calls from the iconic city landmark. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A couple of women advertises for PCR testing for COVID-19 near the front entrance gate for Maiji Jingu Shinto Shrine Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, as people arrive any the shrine to pray for good fortune in the new year. Meiji Shrine in downtown Tokyo, which attracts millions of people every year during New Year holidays and is usually open all night on New Year's Eve, was closed its doors from 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. this year to avoid cluster. This was the first time the popular shrine closed its door on New Year's Eve night in 74 years. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) — A couple of women advertises for PCR testing for COVID-19 near the front entrance gate for Maiji Jingu Shinto Shrine Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, as people arrive any the shrine to pray for good fortune in the new year. Meiji Shrine in downtown Tokyo, which attracts millions of people every year during New Year holidays and is usually open all night on New Year’s Eve, was closed its doors from 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. this year to avoid cluster. This was the first time the popular shrine closed its door on New Year’s Eve night in 74 years. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Fireworks explode over the Kremlin and almost empty Red Square during New Year's celebrations in Moscow, Russia, early Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City's Times Square this New Year's Eve. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) — Fireworks explode over the Kremlin and almost empty Red Square during New Year’s celebrations in Moscow, Russia, early Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City’s Times Square this New Year’s Eve. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Fireworks light the sky during the New Year celebrations over the alps mountains massif 'Nordkette' in Innsbruck, Austria, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) — Fireworks light the sky during the New Year celebrations over the alps mountains massif ‘Nordkette’ in Innsbruck, Austria, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Revelers arrive to Times Square to get a look at the New Years Eve ball on December 31, 2020, in New York City. The N.Y.P.D. will shut down streets around Times Square to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This year they will not allow the public near One Times Square to watch the New Years ball drop except for a small group of invited first responders and essential workers because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 340,000 lives in the United States. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 31: Revelers arrive to Times Square to get a look at the New Years Eve ball on December 31, 2020, in New York City. The N.Y.P.D. will shut down streets around Times Square to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This year they will not allow the public near One Times Square to watch the New Years ball drop except for a small group of invited first responders and essential workers because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 340,000 lives in the United States. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: The New Year's Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 1: The New Year’s Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years’ ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: The New Year's Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 1: The New Year’s Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years’ ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Revelers celebrate New Years Eve in socially distanced pods at Times Square on December 31, 2020, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers will be allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 31: Revelers celebrate New Years Eve in socially distanced pods at Times Square on December 31, 2020, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers will be allowed to watch the New Years’ ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: The New Year's Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 1: The New Year’s Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years’ ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Event organizers test the New Year's Eve Ball ahead of the official Times Square celebration Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) — Event organizers test the New Year’s Eve Ball ahead of the official Times Square celebration Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Passengers of a party bus celebrate New Year after driving through Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. While restaurants and other entertainment venues close its doors across the country at 23:00, Muscovites look for ways to bend the coronavirus restrictions. One of them is a party bus whose owners offer to spend the New Year night touring around the city and having drinks with other strangers. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)

A fireworks display decorates the night sky to celebrate the New Year, as crowds of people look on, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Friday, Jan., 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus visit Sensoji temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) — People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus visit Sensoji temple on New Year’s Eve in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A man walks along a virtually empty Grand Place square during a curfew in downtown Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City's Times Square this New Year's Eve. The virus that ruined 2020 has led to cancelations of most fireworks displays and public events in favor of made-for-TV-only moments in party spots like London and Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) — A man walks along a virtually empty Grand Place square during a curfew in downtown Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City’s Times Square this New Year’s Eve. The virus that ruined 2020 has led to cancelations of most fireworks displays and public events in favor of made-for-TV-only moments in party spots like London and Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus ridea a scooter past a banner welcoming New Year 2021 in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

"Welcome 2021" is projected onto the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. The New Year's Eve party at the historic landmark has been cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP) — “Welcome 2021” is projected onto the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. The New Year’s Eve party at the historic landmark has been cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

In this long time exposure image, a person appears blurred as he paints 2021 with a sparkler firework to represent the coming year, in the darkness on New Year's Eve, in Briesen, Germany, late Thursday Dec. 31, 2020. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP) — In this long time exposure image, a person appears blurred as he paints 2021 with a sparkler firework to represent the coming year, in the darkness on New Year’s Eve, in Briesen, Germany, late Thursday Dec. 31, 2020. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)

Police vans are parked near the Arc of Triomphe, ahead of the New Year's Eve, in Paris, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City's Times Square this New Year's Eve. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) — Police vans are parked near the Arc of Triomphe, ahead of the New Year’s Eve, in Paris, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City’s Times Square this New Year’s Eve. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Frontline workers attend a candlelight ceremony on New Year's Eve on the famed Nelson Mandela Bridge in downtown Johannesburg Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Many South Africans will swap firecrackers for candles to mark New Year's Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to light a candle to honor those who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease.. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell) — Frontline workers attend a candlelight ceremony on New Year’s Eve on the famed Nelson Mandela Bridge in downtown Johannesburg Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Many South Africans will swap firecrackers for candles to mark New Year’s Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to light a candle to honor those who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease.. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Dubai celebrates the new year in India by reflecting their national flag on the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, to mark New Year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) — Dubai celebrates the new year in India by reflecting their national flag on the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, to mark New Year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

A square decorated for New Year celebrations is seen nearly deserted and without the Holiday Market due to the virus-related restrictions prior to New Year's celebrations in Grozny, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev) — A square decorated for New Year celebrations is seen nearly deserted and without the Holiday Market due to the virus-related restrictions prior to New Year’s celebrations in Grozny, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

<p>The Harbour Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand, was lit up.</p> — AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JANUARY 01: A light display from the Harbour Bridge during Auckland New Year’s Eve celebrations on January 01, 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images for Auckland Unlimited)

<p>The illuminated Napier Bridge in Chennai, India.</p> — Residents take pictures as they stand over the illuminated Napier Bridge on New Year’s Eve in Chennai on December 31, 2020. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

<p>A shopping mall in Mumbai, India.</p> — People pose near a decoration on the New Years eve at a shopping mall in Mumbai on December 31, 2020. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)

<p>The Taiwan skyline and Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan.</p> — TAIPEI, TAIWAN – JANUARY 01: Fireworks light up the Taiwan skyline and Taipei 101 during New Years Eve celebrations on January 01, 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)

<p>Fireworks from the SkyTower during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Auckland, New Zealand.</p> — AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JANUARY 01: Fireworks from the SkyTower during Auckland New Year’s Eve celebrations on January 01, 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images for Auckland Unlimited)

<p>Auckland, New Zealand, was one of the first spots on the globe to welcome 2021.</p> — Fireworks are launched from the Sky Tower to mark the changing of the year on New Year’s Eve in Auckland, New Zealand, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. New Zealand and its South Pacific island neighbors have no COVID-19, and New Year celebrations there are the same as ever. (Michael Craig/NZ Herald via AP)

<p>Australia celebrated the first moments of 2021 with fireworks over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.</p> — Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge as New Year celebrations begin in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. One million people would usually crowd the Sydney Harbor to watch the annual fireworks that center on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But this year authorities advised revelers to watch the fireworks on television as the two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria battle to curb new COVID-19 outbreaks. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

<p>These beachgoers in South Korea took it easy.</p> — People watch the sun sets at a beach in Incheon, South Korea, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (Kim Do-hun/Yonhap via AP)

<p>An early Midnight Mass in Ahmedabad, India.</p> — Christians attend a ‘Midnight Mass’ ahead of its usual timing due to a curfew amid Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on the New Year’s eve at St. Xavier’s College Church in Ahmedabad on December 31, 2020. (Photo by Sam PANTHAKY / AFP) (Photo by SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)

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A couple wearing face masks kisses as they celebrate New Year's Eve along the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, Dec 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

People celebrate New Year's Eve along the Las Vegas Strip Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

The Gallup family, from left, Sadie, Greg, Holly and Makenzie take a selfie along the Las Vegas Strip as they celebrate New Year's Eve Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Alejandra Paiz, a tourist from Guatemala who is visiting Mexico for the holidays with a friend and their respective sons, wears festive glasses as the group marks New Year's Eve at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, just after midnight on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Although Mexico City cancelled its annual New Year's celebration to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of people came out in small groups to mark midnight with selfies and video calls from the iconic city landmark.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Women take a selfie in front of the Angel of Independence monument, covered in scaffolding, just before midnight on New Year's Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Although Mexico City cancelled its annual New Year's celebration to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of people came out in small groups to mark midnight with photos and video calls from the iconic city landmark. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A couple of women advertises for PCR testing for COVID-19 near the front entrance gate for Maiji Jingu Shinto Shrine Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, as people arrive any the shrine to pray for good fortune in the new year. Meiji Shrine in downtown Tokyo, which attracts millions of people every year during New Year holidays and is usually open all night on New Year's Eve, was closed its doors from 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. this year to avoid cluster. This was the first time the popular shrine closed its door on New Year's Eve night in 74 years. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Fireworks explode over the Kremlin and almost empty Red Square during New Year's celebrations in Moscow, Russia, early Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City's Times Square this New Year's Eve. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Fireworks light the sky during the New Year celebrations over the alps mountains massif 'Nordkette' in Innsbruck, Austria, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Revelers arrive to Times Square to get a look at the New Years Eve ball on December 31, 2020, in New York City. The N.Y.P.D. will shut down streets around Times Square to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This year they will not allow the public near One Times Square to watch the New Years ball drop except for a small group of invited first responders and essential workers because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 340,000 lives in the United States. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: The New Year's Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: The New Year's Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 31: Revelers celebrate New Years Eve in socially distanced pods at Times Square on December 31, 2020, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers will be allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: The New Year's Eve ball drops in a mostly empty Times Square on January 1, 2021, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers were allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Event organizers test the New Year's Eve Ball ahead of the official Times Square celebration Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Passengers of a party bus celebrate New Year after driving through Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. While restaurants and other entertainment venues close its doors across the country at 23:00, Muscovites look for ways to bend the coronavirus restrictions. One of them is a party bus whose owners offer to spend the New Year night touring around the city and having drinks with other strangers. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr)

A fireworks display decorates the night sky to celebrate the New Year, as crowds of people look on, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Friday, Jan., 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus visit Sensoji temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A man walks along a virtually empty Grand Place square during a curfew in downtown Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City's Times Square this New Year's Eve. The virus that ruined 2020 has led to cancelations of most fireworks displays and public events in favor of made-for-TV-only moments in party spots like London and Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus ridea a scooter past a banner welcoming New Year 2021 in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)

"Welcome 2021" is projected onto the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. The New Year's Eve party at the historic landmark has been cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

In this long time exposure image, a person appears blurred as he paints 2021 with a sparkler firework to represent the coming year, in the darkness on New Year's Eve, in Briesen, Germany, late Thursday Dec. 31, 2020. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)

Police vans are parked near the Arc of Triomphe, ahead of the New Year's Eve, in Paris, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. As the world says goodbye to 2020, there will be countdowns and live performances, but no massed jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots like the Champs Elysees in Paris and New York City's Times Square this New Year's Eve. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Frontline workers attend a candlelight ceremony on New Year's Eve on the famed Nelson Mandela Bridge in downtown Johannesburg Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. Many South Africans will swap firecrackers for candles to mark New Year's Eve amid COVID-19 restrictions including a nighttime curfew responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's call to light a candle to honor those who have died in the COVID-19 pandemic and the health workers who are on the frontline of battling the disease.. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Dubai celebrates the new year in India by reflecting their national flag on the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, to mark New Year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

A square decorated for New Year celebrations is seen nearly deserted and without the Holiday Market due to the virus-related restrictions prior to New Year's celebrations in Grozny, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

<p>The Harbour Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand, was lit up.</p>

<p>The illuminated Napier Bridge in Chennai, India.</p>

<p>A shopping mall in Mumbai, India.</p>

<p>The Taiwan skyline and Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan.</p>

<p>Fireworks from the SkyTower during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Auckland, New Zealand.</p>

<p>Auckland, New Zealand, was one of the first spots on the globe to welcome 2021.</p>

<p>Australia celebrated the first moments of 2021 with fireworks over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.</p>

<p>These beachgoers in South Korea took it easy.</p>

<p>An early Midnight Mass in Ahmedabad, India.</p>

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So long and good riddance 2020 — and a cautiously optimistic hello to 2021. See how people around the world are ushering in the new year below, and keep checking back for photos from New Year’s Day celebrations across the globe as they happen.

Australia was among the first nations to ring in 2021 because of its proximity to the International Date Line. It was a grim end to the year for New South Wales and Victoria, the country’s two most populous states, which are battling new COVID-19 outbreaks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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