APD | Indonesia: quarantine violators locked in ‘haunted houses’

By APD writer Alice

Authorities of Sragen district in Indonesia’s Central Java province has decided to lock violators of a 14-day quarantine order in houses rumored as ‘haunted’ for deterrence.

According to Sragen regency head Kusdinar Untung Yuni Sukowati, the decision was made earlier this week after an influx of people from many cities, including the capital Jakarta, came to the area to avoid lockdowns.

Some newcomers, however, did not follow the 14-day quarantine rule to prevent the spread of coronavirus across the region on Indonesia’s densely populated Java island, she said.

So she instructed local authorities to repurpose abandoned houses that were feared to be haunted as places to house rule-breakers.

Villages chose long-abandoned houses and outfitted them with beds placed at a distance and separated by curtains.

So far, a total of eight people have been tossed into Sragen’s prooky abodes where they are forced to spend the remainder of their two-week quarantine in.

Earlier Kepuh village, also on Java island, deployed a cast of “ghosts” to patrol the streets, hoping that age-old superstition will keep people indoors and safely away from the coronavirus.

“We wanted to be different and create a deterrent effect because ‘pocong’ are spooky and scary,” said Anjar Pancaningtyas, head of a village youth group that coordinated with the police on the unconventional initiative to promote social distancing as the coronavirus spreads.

Known as “pocong”, the ghostly figures are typically wrapped in white shrouds with powdered faces and kohl-rimmed eyes. In Indonesian folklore, they represent the trapped souls of the dead.

The supernatural strategy seemed to prove effective, with villagers running off in fright when the ghosts materialized.

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

Indonesia is currently one of the Southeast Asian countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of coronavirus infections in the country has reached 7,135, with 636 deaths. Over the past 24 hours, Indonesia recorded 375 new cases.

Researchers at the University of Indonesia estimate there could be 1.5 million cases and 140,000 deaths by May without tougher curbs on movement.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)