New York allows revellers at New Year's Eve celebrations

Revellers will be allowed to attend this year's New Year's Eve celebrations in New York's Times Square, the city's mayor has confirmed.

The event was closed to spectators last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

People wanting to see the ball drop this year will have to show proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test if exempt.

The ball drop signifies the start of the New Year with hundreds of thousands of people usually turning up to watch.

"We can finally get back together again. It's going to be amazing, it's going to be a joy for this city," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

He added that he had been working with the Department of Health and New York Police Department "to get this right".

People over the age of five will need to bring photo ID along with their proof of vaccination in order to gain access to Times Square.

Children under five-years-old will have to be accompanied by a vaccinated adult. Those who are unvaccinated will have to wear a mask, head of the Times Square Alliance, Tom Harris said.

People have been celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square since 1904. But last year, celebrations were muted after the Centers for Disease Control urged people to avoid gatherings.

Only a few health workers were allowed into the square to watch and they were placed in socially distanced pods.

The US has recorded the highest number of Covid cases in the world, with 2.1 million recorded since the pandemic began. More than 765,000 people there have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.