In Italy, divers ring in 2022 by marking traditional plunge into freezing Tiber River

As part of the traditional dive to welcome the new year 2022, four divers risked their lives and jumped into Rome’s Tiber River on Saturday. Hundreds of spectators gathered in Rome to witness the men jumping off the bridge into the Tiber River, reported NHK WORLD - Japan. This year, the event of traditional dive took place amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Divers express wish for pandemic to end before plunging into freezing Tiber River

The divers welcomed 2022 with a traditional dive into Rome’s freezing Tiber River, however, they expressed their hopes as they head into a fresh year before the event. A 68-year old man who attended the event for the 34th year in a row shared his New Year’s wish, where he mentioned that he wanted the pandemic to end, so that life returns to normalcy, reported NHK WORLD - Japan. He expressed hope that the people would finally be able to hug and kiss their loved ones soon. The diving event is a New Year tradition that dates back to 1946, according to AP. In 1946, a lifeguard who was unemployed and was trying to find work as a stunt man jumped into the waters from Cavour Bridge to showcase his skills. Since then, it has become an annual event, where people gather to watch the men jump off the bridge into the river.

COVID-19 situation in Italy

According to Worldometer, as of 2 January 2022, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy is 6,266,939. The number of people who have died due to COVID-19 is 137,513 and 5,107,729 people have recovered from the virus. According to the Italian Health Ministry, 88.99% of the population above the age of 12 have been administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 85.87% of the population over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the Italian Health Ministry, 8.59% of children aged between 5 to 11 years of age have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

With inputs from AP

Image: PTI/Pixabay/Representative