Volunteers Dress As Ghosts In Indonesia To Ensure People Stay Indoors

India is currently under lockdown and tomorrow PM Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10 am to announce whether it has been extended beyond its initial 21-day period. However, Indonesian President Joko Widodo hasn’t implemented it yet. There are restrictions on social gatherings and people are being encouraged to follow social distancing principles but the number of COVID-19 cases are still rising.

Which is why, some volunteers of Kepuh village on Java island have begun dressing up as ghosts to scare residents and urge them to stay indoors. According to The Jakarta Post, these shroud ghosts are locally known as “pocong” and are part of their folklore.

Kepuh village in Indonesia has deployed a cast of “ghosts” to patrol the streets, hoping that age-old superstition will keep people indoors and safely away from the coronavirushttps://t.co/5MiaPQp7A8

— HuffPost India (@HuffPostIndia) April 13, 2020

Some volunteers guard the entrance of the Kesongo hamlet from 8 p.m. to midnight performing ID checks while some go on surprise pocong patrols. News.com.au quoted Anjar Pancaningtyas, head of a village youth group that started this in collaboration with the police saying,

“The pocong is not to scare residents; instead, we want to educate residents on the fact that coronavirus causes death. It is shock therapy, as people usually [pay more attention] to anything related to death.”

Another local named Karno Supadmo added, “Since the pocong appeared, parents and children have not left their homes. And people will not gather or stay on the streets after evening prayers.”

Kampung Purworejo Dijaga 'Pocong Anti Corona', Alasan Mulia Di Baliknya Terkuak https://t.co/nbJwbaaOEW pic.twitter.com/qG8SA5bFoW

— WowKeren (@wow_keren) March 31, 2020

What do you think of this unusual idea – creative or crazy?

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