For two years in a row, Muslims the world over will have to celebrate Eid under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

And by now, we all know the drill. Religious holidays, occasions where the faithful gather in large numbers, mostly with loose social distancing rules, are fertile ground for COVID-19 transmission.

We have learned from the explosion of COVID-19 cases in India in the past few weeks that one of the key factors contributing to the “tsunami” of infection, was the decision to allow for major religious festivals to proceed.

More than just a religious festival, Idul Fitri for Indonesians is also part of a cultural tradition. Just like the Lunar New Year or Thanksgiving, this is the time of year when people travel back to their hometowns and villages, meeting with family members and close relatives to rekindle familial ties.

The tradition is so deeply embedded and the familial bond so strong that thousands of holidaymakers last week hopped on their motorcycles, braved the elements with only spare clothes in their backpacks and breached the roadblocks set up by the police.

Thousands others crammed themselves inside poorly ventilated vans or huddled at the back of trucks to avoid being detected by police surveillance. And now hundreds of thousands of these holiday travelers have already reached their destination and have reunited with their friends and family. Only God knows if these people have already been exposed to the virus and spread it to their loved ones.

Now, the government has also attempted to prevent people from traveling within urban areas during the Idul Fitri celebration in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This, too, will likely fail, especially now that local governments are confused over how the policy should be implemented on a more technical level.

Imposing a ban only on holiday travel, but allowing other types of activities such as business, transportation and tourism to remain open sure looks like a recipe for disaster.

Public policy experts have said the ban on holiday travel is ill-advised given the lack of details on how it should be implemented and suggested the government should focus on the fallout from this season’s holiday travel by conducting more testing, contact tracing and prepping the healthcare system to deal with a surge in hospital admissions.

Learning from India, we also know that the government should not let its guard down on the issue of vaccination. With reasonable restrictions, religious festivals should not always turn into a public health disaster.

Religion, traditions and custom all have a long track record as being a coping mechanism, especially during difficult times like these, and this is the reason millions are traveling this year for Eid. Also, tradition should not stand in the way of efforts to curb COVID-19.

So whatever your holiday decision this season, whether you choose to travel or stay home, make sure you make an effort to protect those around you.

Eid Mubarak everyone.

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