Indonesia uses fake coffin to punish COVID-19 violators

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Indonesian authorities have imposed sanctions for people who violate health protocols imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus in the capital Jakarta, and there was a fake coffin besides fines and community services to punish violators.

A video circulating online shows that two men without mask are laying down inside a dummy coffin for few minutes.

The public order enforcers (Satpol PP) asked them to obey the health protocols in order to avoid the risk of infection and transmission of coronavirus.

“Inside the open coffin, they count from one to 100, so at least in one minute, they were told to contemplate their wrongdoing, because with COVID-19 there is a risk of them being laid inside a real coffin,” Budhy Novian, East Jakarta Satpol PP head, explained on a phone call on Thursday.

According to a gubernatorial regulation, failure to wear a mask in public in Jakarta is punishable by fines up to $16.90 or 60 minutes of community service.

The official said the punishment was spontaneously made and introduced as an alternative to community service.

“Many people were queueing [for community service], and it happened while officers in Pasar Rebo brought a faux coffin. So we asked the violators to choose between to go into the coffin or wait for community service,” he added.

Budhy hoped that this punishment will have a deterrent effect.

“We want everyone to realize that wearing a mask is a must, because if they violate the basic protocols, they could be infected and die in the very worst case scenario,” he continued.

This is not the first time that the Jakarta administration displayed a coffin as a warning against COVID-19.

Governor Anies Baswedan on Tuesday inaugurated the COVID-19 Monument in Sunter Jaya, North Jakarta.

The monument was built in a form of coffin equipped with information board containing warning sentences, appeals, and data on the accumulation of COVID-19 cases in the city.

So far, Jakarta has registered a total of 43,400 cases and 1,246 fatalities, higher than any other provinces.

* Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services in Jakarta.