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The clock has struck midnight (16:00 GMT) in China, ushering in the Lunar New Year.

It is normally the happiest time of the year in China, when families gather to have meals and set off fireworks.

But because of coronavirus outbreaks in the country's north-east, many people will be celebrating alone this year.

A “unique but safe” new year is how some state media outlets have been framing the occasion.

On the bright side, it has been four days since China recorded a domestically transmitted case of the coronavirus.

So, with China's vaccination programme well under way, there is a lot of optimism for the Year of the Ox.

As for the Year of the Rat, state media outlets appear to be pleased to see the back of it.

On its Weibo account, the People’s Daily newspaper posted a cartoon of an ox chasing a rat carrying parcels, and a coronavirus, out of an apartment.

Meanwhile, in a reminder of more normal times, the annual New Year countdown show - the Spring Festival gala - returned to being the large-scale spectacle audiences expect it to be.

Celebrations - more scaled down than usual - were seen across China to mark to Lunar New Year Image caption: Celebrations - more scaled down than usual - were seen across China to mark to Lunar New Year