Indonesians made to dig graves for not wearing face masks

The worst a person could get if caught without a face covering is a fine - but Indonesian authorities have come up with an unusual and a more excruciating punishment.

Local authorities in East Java province on Tuesday caught eight people who left their homes without their face masks on and made them dig graves at a public cemetary for those who have died from COVID-19.

According to the district head, there were insufficient gravediggers and so he thought he might as well put the violators to work.

There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them. Hopefully this can create a deterrent effect against violations

 -Suyono, Cerme District head, told TribunNews.

He also said the violators were divided into two groups. One group was assigned to dig the graves and the other was asked to lay wooden boards inside the hole to support the corpse, adding that the violators did not participate in the actual burials.

Authorities have prescribed similar "social punishment". Earlier this month, 50 violators were made to sit in a hearse containing a casket for several minutes and asked to reflect on their actions.

Some businesses that have violated the prevention protocols have also been forced to temporarily shut down.