Indonesia’s Kepuh village has been experiencing ghostly visits as of lately – bizarre white shapes jumping out at strolling citizens and then flying away under the vast darkness of the sky.
Kepuh, which is located on Java island, positioned a number of “ghosts” to roam the streets in order to make sure that people will stay indoors to self-isolate during the COVID-19 crisis.
Anjar Pancaningtyas, head of a village youth group that worked alongside the police in an effort to promote social distancing as the virus spreads said:
“We wanted to be different and create a deterrent effect because ‘pocong’ are spooky and scary,”
Referred to as “pocong,” the ghostly persons are usually dressed in white shrouds and have powdered faces with kohl-rimmed eyes.
According to Indonesian legends, those figures represent the trapped souls of those who have passed.
However, when they first began showing up this month they seemed to have the opposite effect.
Rather than managing to keep people inside, they went out to take a look at the “ghosts”.
The people responsible have since changed their game, and are now scaring citizens with random appearances, and volunteers have also started posing as ghosts.
President Joko Widodo stood against a national lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 and instead asks people to practice social distancing and strong hygiene.
However, due to having some of the highest COVID-19 death rates in Asia, some places like Kepuh have chosen to take things in their own hands with their ghost patrols, and urging for people to stay inside.
“Residents still lack awareness about how to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease,” said village head Priyadi, “They want to live like normal so it is very difficult for them to follow the instruction to stay at home.”
There are currently 5,136 confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia, with 469 losses of life, and the country is fearing the numbers will jump exponentially.
University of Indonesia researchers have estimated there could be 140,000 deaths and 1.5 million infected by next month if tougher restrictions are not implemented.During their latest visit to the village, Reuters reported that the ghost strategy seemed to be working, with locals running away fearing the supernatural beings…
“Since the pocong appeared, parents and children have not left their homes,” said local resident Karno Supadmo, “And people will not gather or stay on the streets after evening prayers.”
You can see the ghosts of Kepuh in hilarious action in the video below.
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