If you enter Indonesia and don’t immediately self-quarantine for 14 days, beware: you might be locked up in a haunted house.
With 647 Covid-19 deaths so far in Indonesia, an area of Java is taking this peculiar measure to make sure people follow the social distancing rules.
According to The Jakarta Post:
Sragen regency head Kusdinar Untung Yuni Sukowati says she issued the unusual edict this week to deal with an influx of people to the area after lockdowns in the capital Jakarta and other major cities…
Sukowati instructed communities to repurpose abandoned houses that were feared to be haunted — tapping widespread beliefs in the supernatural, which play a key role in Indonesian folklore.
“If there’s an empty and haunted house in the village, put people in there and lock them up,” Sukowati told AFP Tuesday when asked about the rule.
Officials in Sepat village chose a long-abandoned house and outfitted it with beds placed at a distance and separated by curtains.
So far, five victims, er, people have been scared straight with the haunted house treatment.
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