Vatican City, Dec 31 (AP) Pope Francis cancelled his New Year's Eve tradition of visiting the life-sized Nativity scene set up in St. Peter's Square to discourage large crowds from forming.

Meanwhile, major Italian cities scrapped their traditional December 31 open-air concerts as Italy battles a record-setting surge in coronavirus cases.

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Francis is going ahead with his traditional December 31 vespers service inside the basilica and will celebrate New Year's Day Mass as scheduled.

The Vatican has largely followed Italy's lead in imposing restrictions on crowds. Many Italian cities are opting for streamed concerts or theatrical productions where access by the public can be controlled to check for health passes.

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In addition, the city of Naples banned the use of fireworks outright in a bid to keep crowds from forming in a city known for its explosive December 31 festivities. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)