Eid under lockdown sees Muslims pray in open fields and living rooms

GCC nations advised Muslims to pray at home, but other nations saw prayers take place outdoors

Indonesian Muslims perform Eid prayers at Al Mashun Grand Mosque in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. EPA

Senior Muslim clerics observes the skies over Cape Town, South Africa. AP Photo

Fireworks among stars exploding in the sky during the Eid Al Fitr celebrations in Jakarta. AFP

Muslims performing during an Eid Al Fitr prayer at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh in Indonesia. AP Photo

A young Palestinian is pictured outside a mosque as people gather for Eid prayers in Gaza City, after the local authorities allowed mosques to reopen. AFP

Thai Muslims take part in a prayer at The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand. Getty Images

A boy walks past a disinfectant sprayer at the Al Mashun Grand Mosque to attend prayers in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. AP Photo

Palestinian Muslims attend Eid prayers next to the closed gates of Al Aqsa mosque, in Jerusalem's old city. EPA

Thai Muslims celebrate Eid at The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Bangkok, Thailand. Getty Images

Indonesian Muslim men take part in prayers at a mosque in Palu, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Reuters

Muslim men perform Eid prayers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Getty Images

(Left to right) Sheik Khaled Zreika and Sheikh Yahya Safi, Imam of Lakemba Mosque pray with members of the community during a live online prayer event at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images

As the sun rose on Sunday, instead of hurrying from their homes to their local mosque to perform Eid prayers, many Muslims began the celebration in their living rooms.

The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, among other nations, advised Muslims to pray at home, with some broadcasting sermons and prayers on television and online.

Some countries, including Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, have imposed round-the-clock holiday curfews.

In Sudan, Pakistan and Indonesia, Muslims gathered in squares and outdoor areas to pray together in an attempt to lessen the risk of contracting coronavirus.

Mosques reopened in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, but worshippers were required to wear masks and practice social distancing, and older individuals were urged to continue praying at home.

Family visits may have been barred in many Muslim nations, but shopping for Eid gifts was still on the agenda. Shoppers, adhering to social distancing guidelines, thronged malls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and further afield

Makkah’s Grand Mosque, which would usually be crammed with the faithful for Eid prayers, stood eerily quiet, as a handful of staff prayed around the Kaaba led by an imam.

Saudi Arabia has launched a five-day total curfew over the Eid holiday after coronavirus infections more than quadrupled since the start of Ramadan to over 70,000, leading prayers to be broadcast online.

Just days before the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem was due to reopen as part of the lifting of coronavirus lockdown measures, hundreds gathered to pray outside it.

In Gaza, Hamas authorities allowed prayers in mosques despite the enclave's first coronavirus death on Saturday, but worshippers mostly wore masks and placed their prayer mats far apart.

Afghans experienced a quiet first day of Eid, thanks to the announcement of a three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and the government to mark Eid al-Fitr,  following months of bloody fighting after the signing of a landmark agreement with the United States.