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Muslims Prepare For Eid Al-Fitr Amid Pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Muslims around the world are taking special precautions to mark Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that breaks the monthlong fast for Ramadan.

Depending on the sighting of the moon, Eid celebrations this year begin either on May 23 or May 24. But prayer gatherings, outdoor festivals, and other public events have been curtailed or canceled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Sanitation crews disinfect the area outside the Djuma Mosque on May 21 in Makhachkala, the capital of the southern Russian region of Daghestan. Authorities have imposed restrictions to deter people from gathering in large groups this weekend, as the mostly Muslim-populated region marks Eid-al-Fitr, known locally as Uraza Bairam.
1 Sanitation crews disinfect the area outside the Djuma Mosque on May 21 in Makhachkala, the capital of the southern Russian region of Daghestan. Authorities have imposed restrictions to deter people from gathering in large groups this weekend, as the mostly Muslim-populated region marks Eid-al-Fitr, known locally as Uraza Bairam.
Muslim worshippers practice physical distancing as they offer prayers in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 22 ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival at a mosque.
2 Muslim worshippers practice physical distancing as they offer prayers in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 22 ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival at a mosque.
No physical distancing and very few masks as devotees gather at this mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on May 22. They are among some 1.8 billion Muslims who celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the world.
3 No physical distancing and very few masks as devotees gather at this mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on May 22. They are among some 1.8 billion Muslims who celebrate Eid al-Fitr around the world.
An Afghan boy makes sweets at a traditional bakery for the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Kabul on May 22.
4 An Afghan boy makes sweets at a traditional bakery for the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Kabul on May 22.
Mounds of dry fruits and a vendors await customers at a Kabul market on May 22 ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday.
5 Mounds of dry fruits and a vendors await customers at a Kabul market on May 22 ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The Banya Bashi mosque was disinfected in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on May 22.
6 The Banya Bashi mosque was disinfected in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia on May 22.
Imams across Kosovo posed in their empty mosques as the holy month of Ramadan neared its end. Kosovo's mosques have been closed since March 14 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
7 Imams across Kosovo posed in their empty mosques as the holy month of Ramadan neared its end. Kosovo's mosques have been closed since March 14 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Two Muslim girls read a magazine in front of the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on May 21.
8 Two Muslim girls read a magazine in front of the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on May 21.
The area around the Raja Bazar in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi was jammed with motorbikes on May 21 as people flocked to markets ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival.
9 The area around the Raja Bazar in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi was jammed with motorbikes on May 21 as people flocked to markets ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival.
Masked passengers in Rawalpindi board a train on May 20. Authorities resumed railway service in Pakistan ahead of Eid al-Fitr after a two-month suspension.
10 Masked passengers in Rawalpindi board a train on May 20. Authorities resumed railway service in Pakistan ahead of Eid al-Fitr after a two-month suspension.
A family in the Iranian capital, Tehran, break their daily Ramadan fast. Throughout the holy month Muslims are not permitted to eat or drink during the day. The Ramadan fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate.
11 A family in the Iranian capital, Tehran, break their daily Ramadan fast. Throughout the holy month Muslims are not permitted to eat or drink during the day. The Ramadan fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate.
Cooks prepare pilaf on May 18 at an immigrant-detention center in the eastern Russian city of Artem ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr.
12 Cooks prepare pilaf on May 18 at an immigrant-detention center in the eastern Russian city of Artem ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr.
A woman and children wear face masks amid prayers in the Iranian city of Abadan.
13 A woman and children wear face masks amid prayers in the Iranian city of Abadan.
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