So will some of the most iconic celebrations still be going ahead on 31 December?

Here's a snapshot from around the world.

France

The Paris fireworks display and festivities on the Champs-Elysees have been cancelled although there's no curfew for New Year's Eve.

Nightclubs across the country are also closed.

Australia

Sydney's spectacular firework event at the harbour has gone ahead - just with fewer spectators than usual.

Most viewing areas were capped by the council and required tickets.

Last year, before mass vaccination, spectators were banned, but this time people are being urged to wear masks where they can't properly distance.

New Zealand

In neighbouring New Zealand, where there hasn't been any community spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, authorities called off several fireworks displays as a precautionary measure, including a popular one from atop Auckland's Sky Tower.

Auckland instead rang in the new year with a light display projected onto the tower and other city landmarks.

United States

New York's centrepiece New Year celebration in Times Square is going ahead but with much smaller crowds than normal.

Everyone who attends will be required to wear a mask, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio's office.

UK

The prime minister and health secretary have said people should remain cautious on New Year's Eve.

Most high-profile mass events have been deemed too risky by organisers.

The display around the London Eye has been cancelled as has a party in Trafalgar Square for 6,500 people. Other events scrapped include Edinburgh's famous Hogmanay festivities.

People planning to socialise are being urged to take a lateral flow test beforehand. However, the tests are currently in short supply.

Nightclubs are closed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for New Year's Eve but remain open in England.

Brazil

Rio's fireworks on Copacabana Beach are back on after previously being cancelled, but the concert afterwards will not go ahead.

With more than 618,000 COVID-related deaths recorded, Brazil has one of the worst death tolls from the pandemic, but so far only 77 Omicron cases have been confirmed.

Greece

There will be no fireworks display over the Acropolis this year.

This week the country's health minister announced new restrictions on the hospitality sector, bringing forward measures planned for early January.

From Thursday evening, bars, nightclubs and restaurants will close at midnight, with no standing customers and no music, with the exception of New Year's Eve when they can stay open until 2am.

Italy

Concerts, open-air events and clubs have been shut until 31 January and public events in Italy's squares are also banned on New Year's Eve.

There are no restrictions on celebrations at home.

Portugal

The Portuguese government ordered nightclubs and bars to close in the run-up to New Year's Eve as cases of the Omicron variant rise.

COVID-19 tests are now also mandatory to enter hotels, casinos and restaurants, and outdoor gatherings have been limited to 10 people.

The country reported a new daily record of 30,829 coronavirus cases on New Year's Eve, up from 28,659 the previous day, with the rapidly spreading Omicron variant accounting for an estimated 83% of all new cases, official data showed.

South Korea

In South Korea's capital, Seoul, the annual New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony was cancelled for second year due to rising COVID cases.

A pre-recorded video of this year's bell-ringing ceremony will instead be broadcast online and on television, officials said.

The ceremony has been known to attract tens of thousands of people in previous years - and it was cancelled last year for the first time since its first ceremony in 1953.

South Korea is also planning to close many beaches and other tourist attractions along the east coast, which usually draws crowds of people hoping to catch the year's first sunrise.

India

Millions of people across India are planning to celebrate the new year from their homes, with nighttime curfews and other COVID restrictions preventing celebrations from taking place in large cities including New Delhi and Mumbai.

Restrictions have also been imposed to curb people going to restaurants, hotels, beaches and bars amid a surge in Omicron infections.

However, some places, including tourist hotspot Goa, and Hyderabad, an information technology hub, have been spared from night curfews due to a smaller number of cases, though other restrictions still apply.