The Marina — which wore a deserted look on New Year's Eve — was filled with revellers on Friday morning. By the afternoon, the beach was crowded with families. 

This is despite the Tamil Nadu government banning new year celebrations and restricting entry to beaches to prevent a spike in COVID-19 cases, especially with a new strain spreading rapidly.

Usually, lakhs of people congregate at the Marina on December 31 to welcome the new year. This time, however, all the beach fronts and the roads leading to the beaches were made out of bound for public.

Even the Greater Chennai Police had advised people to celebrate at home. About 10,000 police personnel were deployed on security duty and check posts and barricades were erected to prevent people entering the beach front. All the flyovers and arterial roads also came under police surveillance to prevent unwanted movement of people.