Lamu town residents break rules as they shop for Idd

Residents of Lamu town are openly flouting Covid-19 rules as they shop in preparation for Idd-ul-Fitr, which is celebrated to mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadhan.

The event is set to be celebrated on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the sighting of the moon.

This year’s Ramadhan has seen Muslim faithful avoid meeting or attend prayers in mosques to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Nation has however established that since the week began, many residents of the town have been flocking to various business premises to buy clothes and foodstuff in readiness for Eid-ul-Fitr.

Some of the shoppers have been breaching social distancing rules despite entreaties by business owners.

Shop owners, grocers, hawkers and boat owners who were interviewed said they did not expect that the end of Ramadhan would be such a trade success. Mr Ahmed Salim, a boutique owner, said he was already recording huge profits, thanks to the Idd preparations.

“We’re happy that despite the tough economic situation, we’ve been experiencing increased sales, particularly this week when Muslims are concluding Ramadhan. People are buying clothes and accessories ahead of the Eid celebrations,” said Mr Salim.

Ms Fatma Ali, a boutique owner in Langoni, said she was expecting the very good customer response in the last week of Ramadhan.

“It’s usual for us to experience huge customer response in the last days of Ramadhan, though we were a bit worried this year due to the coronavirus crisis,” said Ms Ali.

Ms Lucy Wangari, who owns a grocery, said she could barely keep up with demand from the large number of customers visiting her shop.

She expressed hope that things will be even better over the weekend.