Indonesia’s spooky ploy to counter virus threat
HIGHLIGHT
Villagers in central Java have resorted to an age-old trick to ensure unruly youngsters adhere to strict stay-at-home measures — by dressing up as “pocong,” the whiteshrouded ghosts that are the stuff of Indonesian legend.
In Indonesian myth, a “pocong” is a zombie-like ghost of a dead person’s soul trapped in its burial shroud that moves around at night. Young people in Kepuh, in central Java’s Sukoharjo province, have used the ghostly figures to deter local children — who are at home after their schools were closed as part of anti-virus measures — from venturing out at night.
“We had this idea to dress up as ‘pocong’ to keep the residents in their houses as we help the government in imposing social distancing measures,” Anjar Panca, a caretaker of Al-Himmah Mosque, told Arab News on Saturday.
Two villagers dressed up
as
“pocong” guarded the hamlet’s entrance for three nights to warn people against venturing out. One also stood guard on a dark corner in the village.
Panca said the aim is to remind residents of the risks from the fastspreading outbreak and encourage them to stay at home.
However, after photographs of the “pocong” guarding the hamlet’s entrance went viral, they found themselves with a growing audience who came to see them in action, forcing them to halt the initiative.
“However, we want to keep this effort going and we will be appearing again as soon as the situation permits,” Pancar said. On Saturday, central Java confirmed 120 coronavirus cases, out of which 18 have died, while Indonesia’s national tally reached 2,092 confirmed infections with 191 deaths.
Regional governments across Java, home to about 141 million Indonesians, are bracing for a likely spike in virus cases after the central government said on Thursday that it will not ban people in Jakarta traveling to their hometowns ahead of Ramadan and Eid.
On Saturday, central Java confirmed 120 coronavirus cases, out of which 18 have died, while Indonesia’s national tally reached 2,092 confirmed infections with 191 deaths.