The New Year is here, so are the traditional yearly celebrations. All around Turkey, people welcomed the new year in different ways. The festive air was shadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic for yet another year, this time particularly with the rising omicron variant. However, that did not stop everyone from enjoying themselves as police teams took extra precautions to ensure public health safety.
Istanbul's Taksim Square was crowded with people eagerly awaiting 2022 – as per tradition. Thousands of Istanbulites who wanted to welcome a hopefully brighter year started to crowd the square and Istiklal Street as the magic hour approached.
Police were on-site, making sure everyone had their masks on and abided by social distancing measures.
"I am very excited. Taksim is very crowded, we'll have dinner with my friends. We'll enter the New Year by dancing. My wish for the new year is for Beşiktaş to become champions," said Ilayda Doğan, as she eagerly awaited the new year in Taksim hours before the bell's ring.
Istanbul's Nişantaşı, one of the most popular entertainment centers in the city, was home to similar scenes of festive crowds.
Hours before the new year, citizens flocked to many entertainment spots of Istanbul, and Nişantaşı was no different. The streets and avenues of Nişantaşı were reminiscent of the days before the pandemic.
Scenes of colorful images were on camera lenses as police ensured pandemic measures were being observed.
Meanwhile, in the capital Ankara, there was particular interest in the celebrations in Kızılay, with police deploying police dogs and even horse-mounted units to provide security.
The security forces efforts for a smooth New Year's Day were not exclusive to the night as well, as few weeks before New Year’s Day, Turkish security forces had carried out several counterterrorism operations to ensure safety all around Turkey.
