COVID-19 Hits NYE Celebrations

(NBC News) — Tonight, New Years’ Eve celebrations will look very different as officials warn people not to gather in large crowds to ring in the New Year. Times Square will be closed to the public with only invited guests and families of essential workers permitted to attend. Meanwhile, a new mutated and more contagious strain of the coronavirus, first discovered in the UK, is now in the US.News of the new strain, along with people gathering for the holidays, has health officials concerned about the impact on already overwhelmed hospitals as the virus continues to spread at alarming rates.