VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mataram City's residents in West Nusa Tenggara are banned from holding or partaking in city-wide convoys to celebrate the takbiran parade on the eve of Eid al-Fitr to stem the potential spread of COVID-19 infections.

However, Mataram residents are permitted to hold the takbiran, or recital of God, at major events inside mosques, Mataram city police chief, Senior Commissioner Heri Wahyudi, stated here on Tuesday.

However, those holding takbiran inside mosques continue to follow the COVID-19 health protocols to avoid crowding. To this end, the takbiran event organizer should restrict the number of attendants to not over 10 percent of a mosque's total capacity, he remarked.

Police personnel will adopt humanistic approaches for the takbiran events on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr festivity that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadhan, he stated.

Community members are firstly advised to steer clear of events where crowding occurs. However, if they still flout the COVID-19 prevention rules, they will be dispersed, Wahyudi cautioned.

The Mataram city police have also established four COVID-19 monitoring posts to ensure that health protocols are applied at places, such as shopping malls, according to Wahyudi.

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, had determined earlier that the Eid al-Fitr festivity will fall on Thursday.

The final decision was made by referring to the results of "hisab," or calculations, made by the organization's Majelis Tarjih and Tajdid, law-making and reform councils.

Based on the observation of "hilal," or the new moon, conjunction between the sun and the moon would occur on Wednesday, May 12, at 02:03:02 Western Indonesia Time (WIB).

"Thus, 'hilal' will have emerged when the sun goes down in Yogyakarta," Muhammadiyah Secretary Agung Danarto stated at a recent virtual press conference.

The coronavirus disease outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and then spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by imposing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.

To break the chain of transmission of COVID-19, which has impacted the purchasing power of scores of families in Indonesia, the government has banned homebound travel, or "mudik," ahead of this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season akin to last year.

Traditionally, the Eid al-Fitr festivity is often regarded by several Indonesian Muslims as a time to seek blessings and forgiveness from parents and to strengthen "silaturrahim".

However, amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation, "silaturrahim," or the bonds of friendship, can still be upheld virtually during the Eid al-Fitr festivity. (Antaranews)