JAKARTA (INDONESIA) – In the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, city authorities have employed scare tactics to fight coronavirus by displaying an empty coffin at a busy traffic intersection as a grim reminder of the highly dangerous virus.
The coffin has the words “COVID-19 victim” painted in red which has been kept in one of the districts of the city, which is the epicentre of the virus outbreak in the country.
Standing near the coffin is a mannequin donning a protective suit, face mask and shield while a board underneath displays the latest infection rate and death tally.
“Maybe the action taken by the leadership is a bit extreme but this is how we hope to raise awareness,” said Djaharuddin, chief of Jakarta’s Mampang Prapatan subdistrict.
The country has Southeast Asia’s highest death rate from the virus, which has infected 143,000 people and killed 6,200.
While schools in the capital remain closed, restaurants and public transport are allowed to operate with reduced capacity as the restrictions were gradually eased since June.
“Infection cases increase day by day, but people still ignore the health protocols,” added Djaharuddin.
“Setting up the coffin helps people to stay alert of the situation so that they can change their behaviour.”
In a similar vein, a Java village deployed a group of ‘ghosts’ on the streets to spread the message of corona awareness, hoping the old superstition will keep people indoors.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field