Muslim faithfuls celebrate Eid amid COVID-19

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:36 pm

The streets of Abidjan were almost empty on Friday for the Eid al-Adha celebrations that have been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Few faithfuls went to the mosque in Abidjan.

“The situation is really complicated by the coronavirus,” explained Oumar Maiga, an Ivorian livestock trader.

“It’s a tough market, people are not coming in the way they usually would. We are in a situation we’ve never seen in other years.”

In Nigeria, the situation was similar. This year, some even used technology to organise the celebrations.

“Some prefer staying at home so it has really affected the market, like people buying on social media,” said livestock trader Zaid Okoosi.

“They don’t want to have contact with others, going to the market.”

On the eve of Tabaski, the name of Eid in western Africa, sheeps invaded the streets of Dakar.

But for the Senegalese livestock farmers, sales were slow. Due to the pandemic, many have lost their jobs and money is scarce.

The coronavirus has defeated this year’s Eid, which is usually celebrated in big crowds.

(AFP)