Top Asian News 3:33 a.m. GMT

Virus stifles Muslims' Eid al-Fitr celebrations for 2nd year

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr in a subdued mood for a second year Thursday as the COVID-19 pandemic again forced mosque closings and family separations on the holiday marking the end of Islam's holiest month of Ramadan. Worshippers wearing masks joined communal prayers in the streets of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. The world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation allowed mosque prayers in low-risk areas, but those in areas where there was more risk of the virus spreading closed their doors, including Jakarta’s Istiqlal grand mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. Indonesians also were banned for a second year from traveling to visit relatives in the traditional Eid homecoming known locally as “mudik.” “I understand that we all miss our relatives at times like this, especially in the momentum of Eid,” President Joko Widodo said in televised remarks on the decision.