Dhaka, May 25 (IANS): Braving the COVID-19 pandemic and abiding by the recommended health advices, a large number of Muslims in Bangladesh on Monday offered special Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at mosques.

Due to the pandemic, the main Eid congregation in capital Dhaka was not held at the national Eidgah, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Bangladeshi government last week urged devotees to avoid open places for Eid congregations and instructed them to bring prayer mats from home and wear masks while joining prayers in mosques.

Long lines of worshippers were seen since Monday morning in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka for Eid prayers.

Devotees had to pass a disinfectant tunnel before entering the mosque where thousands of people performed Eid prayers in several phases.

The Bangladeshi government recently extended the nationwide lockdown again to May 30 but eased restrictions on business activities though the COVID-19 situation worsened in the country.

Bangladesh recorded 28 new COVID-19 fatalities Sunday, the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began in the country on March 8.

Professor Nasima Sultana, a senior health ministry official, told an online media briefing in Dhaka "28 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed in a 24-hour period, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country since March 18 to 480".

According to the official, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 33,610 in the country, with 1,532 cases reported in the 24-hour period.