Iranians celebrate Eid al-Fitr amid pandemic

Iranians celebrated Eid al-Fitr in the capital Tehran and rest of the country on Sunday while only some designated mosques were permitted to host the Eid's communal prayers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Every year, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would lead the Eid prayers at the end of fasting month of Ramadan attended by thousands of worshippers in Tehran's great Musalla prayer ground.

But this year in an attempt to curb the spread of contagion the big Eid event was cancelled.

A mosque in west of Tehran arranged for worshippers to attend the congregational prayers on a street adjacent to it as a precaution to ensure their safety.

Most of the praying men and women wore face masks and gloves during the prayers.

The highly contagious virus has infected more than 133,000 and killed than 7,300 people in the country, according to health officials.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and lead to death.