Muted celebrations as Hogmanay curtailed by Covid
- Published
Two friends make the most of a subdued Hogmanay in Edinburgh city centre
Scotland's world famous Hogmanay celebrations were muted for a second year after a Covid surge caused the cancellation of major events.
The highest profile casualty was Edinburgh's street party and the midnight fireworks.
Despite the restrictions about 1,000 people climbed to the top of Calton Hill to toast 2022.
Before Christmas, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged people to "stay at home as much as possible."
Those who did celebrate outside enjoyed mild conditions on what the Met Office said was, provisionally, the warmest New Year's Eve on record.
The peak temperature recorded was 16.5 degrees in the Welsh town of Bala, Gwynedd.
Crowds gathered on Edinburgh's Calton Hill to celebrate the New Year
Hogmanay street parties across Scotland were called off after crowds at outdoor public events were capped at 500 from 26 December.
The restrictions, which will be in place for at least three weeks, also saw numbers at indoor public events limited to 100 standing or 200 seated.
They were introduced following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant which has resulted in a record-breaking number of positive cases.
The current 10-day isolation rules, which apply to both positive cases and all household contacts, also meant it was a subdued start to the year for thousands of individuals and families across Scotland.
The traditional New Year Loony Dook, which normally sees hundreds of hardy revellers defy the chills of the Firth of Forth in South Queensferry, was also cancelled although many took part in unofficial New Year dips at various locations across Scotland.
Social distancing rules are now back in force in bars and restaurants
Some revellers in Edinburgh made up for the lack of fireworks with sparklers
Despite the pandemic some people were not deterred and travelled thousands of miles to party in Edinburgh and make the most of scaled-down New Year celebration.
Brenda Jane Baxter-Vell, from Zimbabwe, travelled to Edinburgh with her friend Captain Kevin Pope, having lost her husband to Covid-19 in November and her father earlier in the year.
Mrs Baxter-Vell, speaking outside a bar on the Royal Mile, said: "We have a lot of family history in Scotland and will spend our time tracking it down."
Captain Pope, formerly of the 1st Kings Own Scottish Borderers, said: "We booked and paid for the torchlight march to Calton Hill and are very disappointed.
"In the true spirit of flexibility, though, we have made plans within the guidance and restrictions."
For the second year running the streets of Edinburgh were quiet at Hogmanay
Hannah Vorchmann, 52, from Gdynia in Poland, said the £500 she and her husband paid for Hogmanay night in an Edinburgh hotel was a lot for them.
Mrs Vorchmann added: "We saw on the internet that the street celebrations in Edinburgh were off but we could not cancel and flew in today and leave at 4pm on New Year's Day.
"Everything is so beautiful and we'll be back next year."
Eileen and Chris Chalmers, from Dreghorn in Ayrshire, had a few days extra holiday to use.
Mrs Chalmers said: "We specifically chose to visit Edinburgh and the site at Mortonhall, in our campervan, because the large scale festivities were cancelled.
"It seemed an ideal time to come to the city."
A couple capture a selfie on Edinburgh's Calton Hill overlooking streets that would normally be bustling on Hogmanay
It was also a quiet night for Police Scotland on the streets of the capital
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had previously said the restrictions were necessary during the current surge in Covid cases because "large events put an additional burden on emergency services".
The latest daily figures showed a further 11,962 cases of coronavirus had been recorded in Scotland - with 22.6% of tests coming back positive.
Thirteen further deaths were reported in Friday's statistics, taking the total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive test to 9,858.
Meanwhile, 859 people were in hospital with coronavirus on Thursday, up from 810 the previous day, with those in intensive care rising by two to 36.
These revellers gathered early to mark the New Year
The traditional Loony Dook at South Queensferry on 1 January was cancelled this year
Piper Dave Tunstall, aged 44, who caught Covid-19 earlier in the year, drove to the capital from Paisley to busk on the Royal Mile.
"Busking with my pipes is helping pay the bills at the moment," said Mr Tunstall, "I play the double bass in a band called Langan but work is short.
"In previous Hogmanays we have played gigs in London," he added.
"It is great to be able to bring music to people at this time of year."
Some Scots travelled south across the border to celebrate in England which does not have the same restrictions on gatherings.
A young woman from Glasgow who was interviewed by the BBC in Carlisle said she was there "because there's no restrictions - and all our friends have Covid".
Despite the absence of restrictions, locals in the English town reported that the streets did seem quieter than normal at New Year.
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- Published21 December 2021
- Published21 December 2021
