Carnivals
A Portuguese sign reads "Forbidden row" in an empty seat at the closed Municipal Theater, previously placed there for a guided tour in March that was canceled, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, March 24, 2021. While the theater has been closed to the public since Dec. 2019, it's still used to film shows for online broadcasting. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
AP PHOTOS: Rio de Janeiro artists languish in online exile

By Bruna Prado Apr. 13, 2021 08:07 AM EDT

A man flies a kite as in the background stands the ancient Parthenon temple in Athens, on Clean Monday, March 15, 2021. The coronavirus pandemic, which hit Greece especially hard this winter, threatened to ground the kite-flying, an essential part of the celebration of Clean Monday, the first day of Lent. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Greeks fly kites for Clean Monday holiday despite pandemic

By Petros Giannakouris And Giovanna Dell'orto Mar. 15, 2021 01:03 PM EDT

An empty classroom at Great Academy Ashton, as the school prepares for its reopening on March 8 after the latest lockdown curb the spread of coronavirus, in Ashton-Under-Lyne, England, Thursday, March 4, 2021. The school for approximately 1300 pupils aged 11 to 16 in Greater Manchester will have to conduct around 450 tests per day on pupils and staff in the first 2 weeks after the return of students on Monday. (AP Photo Jon Super)
The Latest: Michigan makes homeless people vaccine-eligible

By The Associated Press Mar. 07, 2021 04:03 AM EST

Carnival figures are stored inside a warehouse in the southern coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, Thursday, March 4, 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has dampened celebrations this year. But Limassol city authorities aren't letting the festive spirit completely wither away, organizing some events that comply with virus restrictions. The culmination of this is the secret outing of King Carnival, the lead float that marks the season's annual theme. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
AP PHOTOS: Cyprus keeps Carnival spirit alive amid COVID-19

By Petros Karadjias And Menelaos Hadjicostis Mar. 07, 2021 02:28 AM EST

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 file photo, Kurds living in Switzerland stage a protest on the Kirchenfeld bridge after clashes with Turkish nationalists in downtown Bern, Switzerland. At a time when seemingly everyone in Europe is wearing masks to battle COVID-19, the Swiss go to the polls Sunday, March 7, 2021 to vote on a long-laid proposal to ban face-coverings like niqabs and burqas worn by some Muslim women or by protesters in ski masks or bandannas. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP, File)
Swiss seen backing proposal to ban face coverings in public

Mar. 07, 2021 02:15 AM EST

People watch a movie at a cinema after almost a year of theaters being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Buenos Aires reopens as virus surge forces Sao Paulo to shut

By Mauricio Savarese And Debora Rey Mar. 04, 2021 12:04 AM EST

People watch a movie at a cinema after almost a year of theaters being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Virus surge forces Sao Paulo to shut as Buenos Aires reopens

By Mauricio Savarese And Debora Rey Mar. 03, 2021 07:21 PM EST

A reveller stands in front of a political carnival float depicting Russia's President Vladimir Putin fighting with opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the streets of Duesseldorf, Germany, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Because of the coronavirus pandemic the traditional 'Rosenmontag' carnival parade are canceled but eight floats are pulled through the empty streets in Duesseldorf, where normally hundreds of thousands of people would celebrate the street carnival. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Germany ekes some fun out of a quiet Carnival

Feb. 15, 2021 10:41 AM EST

Musicians of the "Desliga da Justica" street band perform in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. Their performance was broadcast live on social media for those who were unable to participate in the carnival due to COVID restrictions after the city's government officially suspended Carnival and banned street parades or clandestine parties. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Brazil Carnival goes online with street parties banned

By Marcelo Silva De Sousa And Diarlei Rodrigues Feb. 14, 2021 02:58 PM EST

In this Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 file photo, a group of people dressed as Gilles de Binche march through the Grand Place during the traditional carnival in Binche, Belgium. The celebration, which heralds the return of spring, is said to date back to 1549 and was put on the UNESCO list in 2003. In normal life, the small town of Binche would be bursting with excitement as craftsmen put the finishing touches to vibrant costumes, but in 2021 the COVID-19 regulations have forced the carnival to be cancelled. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
With carnival canceled, sadness takes over Belgian town

Feb. 14, 2021 02:31 AM EST

Owners and their pets take part in the annual dog Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. Rio's Carnival festivities were canceled due to the new coronavirus pandemic, but pet lovers from around the city gathered for the tradition that drew participants with their furry, four-legged companions to compete for best costume. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Human festivities scrapped, Rio's Carnival goes to the dogs

By Marcelo Silva De Sousa Feb. 13, 2021 12:50 PM EST

Two women in costumes stand beside an advertising for 'Germany's next top model' tv show at the "Alter Markt" where normally tens of thousands of revelers dressed in carnival costumes would celebrate the start of the street carnival in Cologne, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. This year all carnival celebrations are banned due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A subdued year for Germany's Carnival, thanks to the virus

By David Rising Feb. 11, 2021 08:48 AM EST

A devotee lights a cigar during an Umbanda religious ceremony at the Casa de Caridade Santa Barbara Iansa temple in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. The faithful of the Umbanda religion, brought to America by West African slaves, perform spiritual protection rituals as part of pre-Carnival traditions. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
AP PHOTOS: Afro-Brazilian religion ritual before Carnival

By Bruna Prado And Marcelo Silva De Sousa Feb. 07, 2021 02:49 PM EST

Healthcare workers wait for the arrival of elderly people to be vaccinated at a drive-thru vaccination center at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. In a normal year, Rio’s Sambadrome would be preparing for its great moment of the year: the world’s most famous Carnival parade. But a week before what should be the start of Carnival, the pandemic has replaced pageantry. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
With Carnival scrapped, Rio’s Sambadrome hosts vaccinations

By Marcelo Silva De Sousa And Lucas Dumphreys Feb. 06, 2021 02:31 PM EST

People demonstrate at a rally organized by the association "Silent Protest" against the restrictions and measures taken against the coronavirus by the Swiss federal government, in Zug, Switzerland on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Large crowds with most wearing protective gear, gathered in Zug to highlight damage done to people's lives, by restrictions put in place by the government. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)
The Latest: LA County says medical center broke virus rules

By The Associated Press Feb. 06, 2021 08:48 AM EST

Elena Escalante helps her 3-year-old daughter Zaii prepare for a homespun beauty pageant in the Antimano neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. Neighbors in the hillside barrio gathered for the carnival pageant tradition to select their child queen for the upcoming festivities. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Amid pandemic, Venezuelans have fun picking Carnival queen

Feb. 05, 2021 05:37 PM EST

A view of the Canal Grande or Grand Canal, in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. The canal city's Carnival festivities should have started Saturday, but the COVID-19 pandemic made the annual appointment for more than two weeks of merry-making impossible. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
AP PHOTOS: Venice has people in masks but no Carnival fun

By Antonio Calanni And Andrea Rosa Jan. 31, 2021 02:45 AM EST

Dr. Wille Baracho practices social distancing as he visits with his 81-year-old mother at her home amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Padre Miguel neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. As a frontline worker, he knows he is a vector, even after contracting and recovering from COVID-19, so whenever he visits his mom, who has high blood pressure, he remains at her gate. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
How a Brazil samba school shimmied from Carnival to COVID-19

By David Biller Nov. 10, 2020 09:00 AM EST

Trinidad cancels famed carnival for 2021 due to pandemic

Sep. 29, 2020 02:28 PM EDT
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The COVID-19 pandemic has forced officials to cancel one of the biggest carnival celebrations in the Caribbean. ...

A waiter prepares tables and chairs in an outdoor dining area in London, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, after Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a range of new restrictions to combat the rise in coronavirus cases in England. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The Latest: Concerns over coronavirus upticks in California

By The Associated Press Sep. 25, 2020 12:35 AM EDT