In Jakarta, Indonesia, people have been forced to dig the graves of those who have died from COVID-19 after refusing to wear face masks. The action was taken to send a message to the rest of the country about ignoring COVID-19 safety protocol.
The decision was made by Cerme district head Suyono after noticing a lack of grave diggers available in the nearby vicinity. One such gravedigger by trade, Nadi bin Eji, told newspapers he has seen around 2,600 burials since COVID-19 hit the city in early March. The incident is part of a greater “social punishment” system where residents are given a fine or made an example of if caught not wearing a mask. Furthermore, businesses were subject to similar penalties if caught violating the rules, being forced to clean waste from the sewers.
Indonesia has become one of the most hard-hit countries in South-East Asia with restrictions being re-imposed since early September with medical services and supplies facing major shortages. The country has reported over 200,000 cases of the virus with nearly 9,000 fatalities as of September 2020.
Currently, Thailand imposes requirements on certain businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, to require customers and staff to social distance, wear masks, and record personal information for contact tracing. However, unlike Indonesia, there are no criminal penalties for citizens not wearing a face mask in public or disagreeing with the government response to the COVID-19 situation.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/world
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