COVID-19 lockdown: On first day of Ramzan, people offer prayers at home in Hyderabad

Amid nationwide lockdown, people in Hyderabad observed the first day of Ramzan by staying at their respective homes.

"The holy month of Ramzan has started and people will be fasting till the last day of this holy month. All the religious scholars and government officials are requesting people to celebrate Ramzan at home keeping the spread of COVID-19 in mind. Today, we kept fasting and for the first time, we have celebrated this Ramzan's first day staying at our residence," a person, named Syed Moiz told .

"We offered Namaz and Tarabi prayers at our residence with our family. We are slightly disappointed that we could not offer prayers in mosque. But on one side, we are also happy that we can offer prayers with family members. The government's step is for the sake of people and people should stay at their homes and celebrate Ramzan till the lockdown ends," Moiz added.

Another resident of Hyderabad, Syed Minhaj, said, "After fasting, we have offered prayers from our residence with all the family members. This problem is not related to one community because the whole world is suffering today. We should all come together to fight this pandemic."

While the holy month of Ramzan has started, the streets of Charminar and Mecca Masjid wore a deserted look as people remained indoors and refrained from public gathering amid the coronavirus lockdown.

"Never have I seen the streets empty and shops closed during the months of Ramzan. Every year, shops remain open the whole night and the streets are crowded," said Mohammad Misbahuddin, a general store owner at Charminar, recalling the "good old days".

Mohammad Arif, a resident of Mecca Masjid area, said that the lockdown has affected stray mals and daily wage earners.

"Since the lockdown, the stray mals, which used to be fed by shopkeepers here are starving for food. Even though Ramzan has started, we are facing problems like shortage of food as we do not have any work," said.

( With inputs from ANI )