Amid COVID-19 scare, Bengaluru welcomes 2023

BENGALURU

After a gap of two years, when the celebrations were muted due to the pandemic, new year revelry in the city reached a feverish pitch on Saturday.

At the stroke of midnight, thousands who had gathered at Brigade Road, Koramangala, Indiranagar, and other market and restaurant hubs in the city, which wore a carnival look for the big moment, erupted in joyous cheer.

Businesses, which had seen a washout of the season for the past two years, did brisk business through the night.

Even as civic marshals creating awareness on wearing masks amidst the swelling crowds served as a reminder that we are yet not out of the long shadow of COVID-19, most hoped the year ahead will not be a repeat of the three years that have gone by.

The CBD area around Brigade Road and other spots where revelers had gathered turned into a fortress, and the celebrations were closely monitored by thousands of police personnel on the ground, aided by watch towers, drones and CCTV cameras.

Traffic Police, who were out on the streets in full numbers, were checking for drunk driving and as a precaution had banned traffic on all flyovers. People were not allowed to consume liquor in public.

Unlike previous years, city police had imposed a deadline of 1 am on celebrations and the crowds were soon cleared after the midnight cheer.