New Year\'s Day is just another day with Covid waves

Hyderabad: New Year’s Day being a Sunday gave some family an opportunity to gather at home, eating home-cooked meals and enjoy small get-togethers. Given the current Covid scare, people, especially doctors, want a Covid-wave free New Year with minimal opportunity for disease spread.

Celebrating New Year’s Day was a thing earlier. Now, all I want to do is sit back and relax, especially after three horrible Covid waves. I loved partying in the past but not anymore. I hope 2023 is a year without a Covid wave. Other than Covid, and new diseases coming up, I wish this year to be deadly-disease free and at the same time be prepared to fight the consequences. New Year’s Day for me after many years of practice in this profession is just another day and I am upset that it is falling on Sunday. Otherwise, I would have got one more extra leave.
Dr Shyam Sunder

My younger daughter was born a few months ago. I expect 2023 to help me grow my small tailoring business as I want to give the best to both my daughters. I also want to stop working at other people’s houses if my tailoring business flourishes. My husband is a watchman and we get to live in a small house. For now, I am okay with everything, but just cannot think of getting infected with any kind of disease as it would shatter my family.
Anjali B., House help

New Year for me is a time to give back something to society such as providing food and medical care to those in need it, besides standing up for those who are facing injustice in silence, particularly women. I would like to promote the same to my school children and teach them such good values and bring a change together.
Sangeeta Raghuram, School principal

This New Year I will turn 18 and I am expecting my independence and a new career. I will be taking a lot of entrance exams and hoping to get into my dream college. I will not be able to celebrate the New Year as I have tuition lined up for entrance tests and final board exams.
Lalitha Duggi, Class 12 student

It only brings hope like all other years but this one feels like a reset and rebirth. We learnt to live with the pandemic this year. My business in the service sector was impacted severely. We had almost zero income for a few months in 2020 and 2021. We recovered from the damage in 2022 and in that context 2023 brings a different kind of hope. I have learnt the real meaning of hope in the last couple of years.
Ankit Priya, Public policy, business event management

This year I will be entering a new phase of life as I will be getting married. I am excited yet nervous, just like other brides. Given the Covid scare, I want this year to be disease-free and I do not want any restrictions in my wedding. My family has already booked everything and spent a lot of money on the same. I usually celebrate New Year’s with my friends clubbing, but this time it would be a peaceful New Year celebration with my family.
Kiran Lakhiani, MNC employee