Tiger sculptures and totem poles decorate the streets of Taiwan

Tiger sculptures and totems decorate the streets of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as people buy spring couplets to welcome the Year of the Tiger on 1 February.

In the Chinese zodiac, the tiger represents strength and power.

A Taipei resident hopes it can "tame and contain the pandemic".

Lunar New Year celebrations at temples across the island have been curtailed and some festive events cancelled due to the increase in cases of the Omicron variant of the virus.