The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment announced Tuesday that the event will not allow people to gather in Times Square on Dec. 31 this year and instead will be broadcast for TV and internet viewers.  

Organizers for the New Year's Eve celebration had previously said in September that the event would be mostly virtual in order to follow social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. 

"Safety of New Yorkers and participants is the priority of Times Square New Year's Eve 2021," the organization's statement said. 

The event's planners said they have consulted medical experts throughout the planning of the celebration and will ensure all festivities follow New York's restrictions. All people who enter the specified areas will need to follow testing, screening and safety guidelines. 

The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment said all people "will remain masked at all times" except when performing and "will adhere to distancing regulations throughout the production site."

The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment also declared that this year's special guests will be the "Heroes of 2020," including first responders, frontline and essential workers and their families "who sacrificed so much in 2020 to provide care and support for their communities."