Delhi: Low footfall at Jama Masjid amid surge in COVID-19 cases and subsequent restrictions

Delhi's Jama Masjid is witnessing a low footfall of people despite the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan due to the restrictions and night curfew put in place amid the massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the national capital.

Unlike the usual hustle, many shops remained closed in a market near the Jama Masjid area on the first two days of Ramadan.

"Due to the coronavirus restriction and the night curfew in Delhi, people are not coming here. There are many hotels in this area for the tourists but now most of them are vacant. The pandemic has also affected our businesses during this auspicious month," a shop owner who sells Ramadan food items, told .

"Earlier people from out of stations used to come to Jama Masjid during the month of Ramadan but now mostly locals of the area come," said another shop owner, who sells dates.

The city registered the highest single-day spike of 17,282 fresh COVID-19 infections and 104 related deaths on Wednesday. There are 50,736 active cases so far while 11,540 have lost their lives so far due to the deadly disease.

The Delhi government has already announced weekend curfew along with other restrictions in its effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases.

( With inputs from ANI )