'Wear Masks Or Dig Graves Of COVID Victims!' Indonesia's Unique Punishment

In Indonesia's East Java, people who refuse to wear masks are being made to dig graves of COVID-19 victims at a public cemetery in Ngabetan village as a penalty.

The local administration by far has asked at least eight people in Gresik regency, East Java to dig graves for those who have succumbed to the virus as punishment for refusing to wear masks in public spaces, according to a report published in The Jakarta Post.

"There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them," Suyono, Cerme district head told the media.

He added that two people were given one grave, where one had to dig and the other had to lay wooden boards inside the hole to support the corpse.

"Hopefully this can create a deterrent effect against violations," Suyono said, expressing concerns over the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Cerme. He added that this has prompted authorities to tighten the protocols in the village.

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