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Streets of Hari Raya market empty, people not going out to shop on Eid too

Kuala Lumpur: Eid, the biggest Muslim festival of the year is coming up, the streets of Kuala Lumpur are quiet. The crowds of buyers, who usually roam the streets of the Malaysian capital before the Eid-ul-Fitr in Hari Raya market, celebrate the day that Muslims around the world celebrate after a month of fasting.

Instead, many people are preferring to buy their food online, which usually bought new clothes and furniture during this time.

Measures aimed at curbing the transition have affected Hari Raya retail sales in Malaysia and Indonesia, with 240 million-strong Muslim population in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, where this festive season accounts for nearly half of the year revenue, retailers are seeing sales fall by almost 90 per cent, while their Malaysian counterparts forecast a fall of 80 per cent.

Gary Chua, president of the Malaysian Retail Chain Association, said, "The excitement is very low at the moment as people are taking precautions about the virus." Most retailers have not re-opened all outlets since May 4, despite being exempted by the government, as many shopkeepers have to pay a lot of bills as well as a shortage of customers in the market. Chua said that "If people are not on the streets, how to open an outlet?".

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