Photos show Lunar New Year celebrations with caution amid an ongoing pandemic

• Families opt for distanced or virtual celebrations amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• Limited public festivities continued to take place with health safety precautions in mind.
• Here's what celebrating one of the most important holidays in the Chinese culture looks like amid the pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep the world indoors, families are forced to ring in the Year of the Ox with health safety in mind.

Last year at the onset of the pandemic, China imposed a strict lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus, shutting down the Lunar New Year festivities just days before they were scheduled to take place. Now, a year later, in-person celebrations in China were canceled amid recent surges in infections in parts of the country.

The Lunar New Year marks the end of the Chinese calendar and celebrated among the Chinese cultural sphere in various countries. Residents in other countries observing the Lunar New Year, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, are also proceeding with the festivities in caution, wearing face masks when visiting temples - which are subsequently doused with disinfectant to prevent any potential spread of the coronavirus.

Here's what celebrating one of the most important cultural holidays in the Chinese culture looks like amid the pandemic:

Families host virtual gatherings to observe the holiday. Chinese officials encouraged residents not to travel after recent outbreaks.

Liu Yuting and her family enjoy Chinese Lunar New Year dinner at a Haidilao hotpot restaurant with relatives in Jilin province connected via video link after they decided not to travel to their hometown following authorities advice after an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Beijing, China February 11, 2021.      REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

For those who decide to go to the temple, people are subject to temperature checks prior to entry.

A security guard checks the temperature of worshippers at the entrance of a temple amid concerns of coronavirus outbreak during the Lunar New Year of the Ox celebrations in the China Town area of Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.      Tatan Syuflana/AP

Worshippers wear face coverings when praying at temples for the Lunar New Year.

A woman wearing a protective mask prays at the Thean Hou Temple during first day of Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.      Vincent Thian/AP

Buddhist monks and visitors alike wear protective gear to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Buddhist monks wearing facemasks to protect against COVID-19 pray as they mark Lunar New Year at Seng Guan temple on February 12, 2021, in Manila, Philippines.      Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Temples are hosed down with disinfectant.

Indonesian Red Cross personnel sprays disinfectant to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Hwie Ing Kiong temple, ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Madiun, East Java province, Indonesia, February 11, 2021.      Antara Foto/Siswowidodo/via REUTERS

Chinese opera troupe members wore face shields over ornate make-up for performances.

Chinese opera troupe members wear face shields as protection from COVID-19 during a performance at Lhong 1919 on February 12, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand.      Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

An advertisement for a COVID-19 contact-tracing app is posted to track surges in infections in Hong Kong.

A QR code for the "LeaveHomeSafe" Covid-19 contact-tracing app is posted during Lunar New Year fair at Victoria Park, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hong Kong, China, February 11, 2021.      REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Signs are posted in New York City's Chinatown in the US to remind people not to gather in large groups.

People walk through Chinatown on the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday on February 11, 2021 in New York City.      Spencer Platt/Getty Images

While not all Lunar New Year festivities went according to plan in 2021, families (and pets alike) made the most out of it.

Two pugs pose with a packet of Fortune Cookies in Chinatown on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which ushers in the Year of the Ox in central London on February 12, 2021.      TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images