TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Eid al-Fitr celebration that was scheduled for Thursday (May 13) at Taipei Main Station has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, the event's organizer announced Sunday.

The "Festival of Breaking the Fast" is celebrated annually across Taiwan by the Muslim community to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Each year, thousands of Muslims congregate at Taipei Main Station to participate in mass morning prayers followed by a feast with friends.

However, the celebration at the station will not proceed as planned this year, according to the organizer the Global Workers' Organization (GWO). It said Indonesian Muslim groups in the country had jointly made the decision to minimize the risk of infections amid the pandemic.

GWO Deputy Secretary Hesti Chou (周思妤) said there are about 700,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, many of whom are Muslims. Although Eid al-Fitr is important to the Muslim community, the cancelation is necessary to protect both the workers and their Taiwanese employers, she said.