Jakarta, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims across Indonesia struggled to cope with the devastating new wave of the coronavirus incident, and the government banned large rallies and tightened travel restrictions on Tuesday 2 Marked the tough Eid al-Adha Festival of the year.

Indonesia is currently the COVID-19 hotspot in Asia, with daily cases being the most confirmed as infections and deaths have skyrocketed in the last three weeks and outbreaks in India have diminished.

Most Indonesian cases occur on the densely populated Java island, where more than half of Indonesia’s 270 million people live. Authorities in the world’s most populous Islamic nation have done much of the work to attract the crowds that are part of Eid al-Adha, a sacrificial feast that marks the end of the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Banned.

Authorities allowed prayers at local mosques in low-risk areas, but there were no congregations at other places of worship, including the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Jakarta, the largest in Southeast Asia.

Authorities also banned large crowds, which normally fill the mosque’s yard, from participating in the festival’s ritual animal cruelty. Religious leaders urged believers to pray in the house, and children were told not to go out to see their friends.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Health reported 34,257 new coronavirus cases and 1,338 deaths on Monday, making it the most deadly day in Indonesia since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Indonesia’s COVID-19 infection peaked last week, with the highest daily average and more than 50,000 new infections reported daily. Until mid-June, the daily number of cases was about 8,000.

Overall, Indonesia has reported more than 2.9 million cases and 74,920 deaths. These numbers are widely considered to be significantly underestimated due to poor testing and inadequate tracing.

On July 3, the government set urgent restrictions on the entire tourist islands of Java and Bali, restricting all unnecessary travel and gatherings, and closing malls, places of worship and entertainment centers. They were set to end on Tuesday in time for the country to celebrate Eid al-Adha.

But while the wave of infection is still widespread, the government’s COVID-19 Task Force bans all public travel, joint prayers, family visits and gatherings throughout Java and Bali during the holiday week. A special directive was issued and blockade measures were taken in 15 cities and districts outside the two islands that recorded a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases.

President Joko Widodo urged Muslims to pray for Eid, and God’s reading is wonderful at home with their family.

“In the midst of the current pandemic, we must be willing to make more sacrifices,” Widdo told Eid’s eve on television. “We sacrifice personal interests and put the interests of the community and others first,” he said.

Police have set up highway checkpoints and blocked non-essential vehicle highways. Domestic flights and other modes of transportation have been suspended, preventing people from making traditional family visits.

“This is unfair … but it should be followed for the safety of the people,” said Eka Cahya Pratama, a civil servant in the capital Jakarta. He said he had lost many relatives, including his aunt and two uncles, because of COVID-19.

“I’m really sad. I miss them on Eid day,” he said.

The current wave of Indonesia was facilitated by a trip during the Eid al-Fitr festival in May and the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variants that emerged in India. Hospitals are overwhelmed, lacking oxygen supply, and an increasing number of illnesses are quarantined and die at home or while waiting for emergency medical care.

Oxygen is not guaranteed even for patients who are lucky enough to get a hospital bed because the health care system is having a hard time dealing with it.

Other Asian countries are also struggling to contain the rapidly increasing number of infections amid stagnant vaccination campaigns and the epidemic of delta mutations. Some of them are Muslim-dominated, including Malaysia, Bangladesh, and the four southernmost states of Thailand.

Unlike Indonesian regulations, Bangladesh has suspended the coronavirus blockade for eight days to commemorate Eidal Adher, and vacations have caused the virus to surge as millions of people shop and travel this week. However, there are concerns that the medical system that is already struggling may collapse. ..

Malaysia is also struggling to control the outbreak, which has been exacerbated despite the blockade since June 1. The total number of cases increased by 62% from June 1st to over 927,000. Hospitals in Selangor, in particular, are overwhelming, with some patients reportedly being treated on the floor due to lack of beds and corpses being piled up in morgues. However, vaccination is on the rise, with nearly 15% of the population fully vaccinated.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin urged Muslims to stay home and celebrate their holidays sparingly. “Because your sacrifice is in the eyes of Allah, and in our efforts to save lives, a wonderful jihad, I urge all of you to be patient and obey the rules,” he said of the festival. I said in a speech that aired on TV the night before.

Indonesia began vaccination more aggressively than many countries in Southeast Asia. About 14% of the population receives at least one dose, mainly from Sinovac in China. However, Sinovac can be less effective against delta variants and can be more susceptible. Both Indonesia and Thailand are planning booster shots of other vaccines for Sinovac-immunized healthcare workers.

In Indonesia, government data show that daily burials in dedicated graveyards for COVID-19 victims have increased tenfold since May in Jakarta alone, leaving land cleared for the dead. ..

As grave diggers work in slow shifts, families wait in turn to fill their loved ones. Last year, Indonesia’s premier Islamic office announced a decree that mass graves (usually prohibited by Islam) are allowed during a pandemic.

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The Associated Press writer Victoria Milko contributed to this report.